Impossibilities
by Black Jet
Summary: Heero Yuy is in the hospital. The impossible has happened.
1. Chapter 1

It's not fair

Impossibilities

By Jet

'Nother story written! Man, I start too many fanfics! This one is kinda depressing…anyway, I like it a lot. I hope you do too! E-mail me at [dartstripe@yahoo.com][1] ! Tell me what you think…please? Sorry bout the missing note to anyone who read it before!

Disclaimer: Didn't make GW, don't have money, don't sue me. 

**__**

It's impossible. He was the perfect soldier for goodness sakes! How could this happen? The confusing thoughts raced through Duo's mind, just as his legs flew him through the hospital halls. 

He had gotten the call twenty minutes ago. Meran, the girl Heero had been a bodyguard for, had made the call. She had said that Heero was in the hospital. She had also told him, choking on tears as she did so, that something was terribly wrong. 

Duo met Meran outside of Heero's room, number 144. She was sobbing with anguish. Instinct swelled up inside him, and he gently laid a hand on her shaking shoulder. The crying girl looked up into his eyes, her face crumpled with sorrow.

"I'm….sorry! I d…didn't mean for him to g…get hurt!" She wailed. 

The pilot wanted to stay outside with her, to try to help her. But the urgency and sadness in her voice forced him to open the door to Heero's room. Inside was a sight he thought he'd never see.

Heero was laying on the bed, nothing on him but a light hospital gown. The small but strong boy was sleeping, an expression on his face Duo had never seen. An expression of pain. One of his arms was resting on his chest, the other at his side in a splint. His legs were out straight, also set in splints. However, his legs didn't look like they were broken. They looked much worse. 

His legs were all lumpy, like every piece of bone in them was crushed up into a pulp. As a nurse walked in, Duo knew he had to ask her what was wrong with his best friend. He was very afraid of what the answer would be.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Yes?" The young nurse turned toward him.

"What…happened to him?" He asked fearfully.

The nurse looked ready to tell him, then paused. "I think I'll let him tell you, if he can. He needs to eat, so I have to wake him up anyway."

She wheeled a food tray over near the bed, extending it out so Heero would be able to eat without much movement. Leaning over, she nudged the boy carefully. When he didn't wake up, she nudged harder, wishing she didn't have to do this.

Heero woke with a start, the pain on his face totally obvious now. There were tears in his eyes as the nurse helped him sit up. He felt so totally useless, he wanted to die. And all this emotion…he had never had to show pain like this before. 

All of a sudden, he realized that someone else was standing in the room other than the nurse. Who was it? They looked familiar…**_Come on, think! You can remember…you have to remember_**… the boy thought desperately. He racked his brain, trying to match names to the braided boy in front of him. Finally, after what seemed hours, he whispered out a name,

"D…Duo?" He asked, hoping that he had chosen the right name.

Duo looked up at the mention of his name, somewhat surprised that it had taken Heero this long to say something. He looked at the nurse, who just shook her head. Something was definitely wrong. Why wouldn't anyone tell him?

The nurse was very glad that Heero remembered the young man's name. It meant he might be able to recover. Kneeling down so she was at eye level, she asked him,

"You need to eat Heero. Can you do that? Do you want me to stay in here?" She asked kindly. 

"I…I can eat." He muttered, his voice betraying his lack of confidence. "And…no. You can…um…go." **_I hate this! I can't even talk right! What's wrong with me?_** He screamed mentally.

The nurse got up and walked over to Duo. "I think he wants to be alone with you. Make sure he eats, and if he needs help, call me, alright?"

Duo nodded. He wasn't exactly sure why Heero would need help eating, but he took her word for it. Pulling up a metal chair, he sat down next to Heero's bed. There was silence for a few moments, as if neither of them knew what to say. Duo realized that he would have to break the ice.

"Hi Heero." He said. **_Great ice breaker Duo._**

"H...hi." Heero stammered**._ I can't even say anything! Why did he have to come now?_**

"The nurse said you were supposed to eat." Duo said carefully.

"Yeah, I know." The injured boy replied. **_Good. A sentence without stammering. But now I have a problem…I don't think I can do this._** Heero drew breath sharply and scolded himself, **_Yes, you can! You're the Perfect soldier, remember?_**

Slowly, Heero moved his good arm, the left one, out and grabbed onto his spoon. Hoping against all hope that he wouldn't make an idiot out of himself, he scooped up a few peas, and tried to bring them to his mouth. Halfway there, he dropped his spoon, spilling the little green balls everywhere.

**_You're not worth anything!_** He screamed at himself. **_You're a mental nutcase who can't even eat by himself! Perfect Soldier. Yeah right._** Heero threw his spoon across the room in anger, and looked away. 

Duo was alarmed. **_Now I know something is wrong. Heero can't even eat. What's happened to him?_** When the braided boy saw Heero's eyes cloud up in tears, he knew now was not the time for questions, but for helping. 

"I'll help you Heero." Duo offered.

"No." Heero refused. **_If I can't eat on my own, I'm not eating._**

"Come on Heero. If you don't let me help you, I have to go get the nurse. You don't want that do you?" **_This has got to work. I don't want that nurse in here. _**

"Well…" **_Having Duo…that's his name, remember it…feed me wouldn't be as bad as that nurse… I guess…_** "A…all…alright." He stuttered.

Duo let out a long sigh of relief. Getting up from his chair, he retrieved the spoon Heero had thrown, wiping it off on his clothes. **_That nurse would have a fit if she knew about that one._**

Sitting down again, Duo scooped up a few of the remaining peas and put them in Heero's mouth. He watched to make sure Heero had swallowed before he fed him some more. 

Meanwhile, Heero was humiliated. **_I know I have to eat…but he'll think I'm weak. I can't be weak. I have to be strong. Especially when he finds out I'm…_**

"Heero…what's the matter?" Duo asked, a spoonful of carrots half way to Heero's mouth.

"N…nn…oo…noth…No." He just couldn't get the word out. **_Nothing, you idiot, say it! Nothing. Come on! Do it!_** "Nothing." 

"Alright, if you say so." Duo proceeded to feed him the rest of his lunch.

** * 

**__**

It took a long time, but Duo finally got his friend to eat everything. Carefully moving the tray out of his way, he helped Heero lay back down again. The boy shivered. Knowing it was wrong, Duo took off his coat and put it on him. Then he took a blanket from the corner and covered Heero with it.

"Tha...thanks." Heero murmured, closing his eyes. **_I guess that wasn't so bad…_**

Duo sat down in his chair, watching Heero closely. Curiosity bubbled up inside him. **_I want to know what had happened to Heero. But is now a good time? Better ask before he falls asleep._**

"Heero, what happened to you anyway?" 

The Not-So-Perfect Soldier turned towards him, eyes wide with a kind of eerie fright. Duo regretted disturbing the hurt boy, but he just had to know. Now, he wondered if Heero could even tell him what went wrong…

"It's too…long. Can…can't say that…m…much." Heero stammered. **_Duo…I wish I could tell you. You'd understand, and you wouldn't blame Meran either…I guess I've got to tell you what's wrong with me…I don't look forward to it…_**

"I…can…n…tell…you what h…happened." **_Heck with the complete sentences. It takes too much effort! You'll understand…_** "Legs…c…crushed. B…broken bones. S…s...some...thing…wrong…i…in my head…I can't…talk well…can't m…move well. H…hard…d to…remember….th…things." 

"Man…that must hurt." **_Great Job Duo, you're really an encourager._**

Heero managed a small smile. "You have n…no idea." **_Yeah, it really hurts…but I can't tell you that. I'll just keep on being cold little me, on the inside at least. I'll try to smile for you, and to get better just for you…I'll try._**

Duo put a comforting hand on Heero's shoulder as the boy drifted off into oblivion. Looking at Heero, poor, mangled Heero, suddenly brought tears to Duo's eyes. Soon he was sobbing. He wasn't used to seeing Heero like this! And that part about his mind…he just couldn't take it. 

Several hours, the door creaked open and Heero's nurse walked in. She found Duo asleep, his head on Heero's chest, and his hand on Heero's shoulder. Heero was sleeping peacefully, without a frown or a grimace of pain. **_Maybe that boy should come more often_**. She thought to herself. 

The nurse gently woke up Duo, saying that it was time to leave. Though she clucked her tongue in disapproval at Duo's coat around Heero, she let it stay. The nurse liked this young man so much, she had to forgive him. However, she did warn him that next time he might not be so lucky. 

"I'll be back tomorrow!" Duo told her, walking out of the room. **_Meran is gone. I wonder why. Maybe they made her leave…like they made me leave. I don't want to leave him. I want to stay. I can't stand him being in there. I want him home. Today. With me and the guys, so that…the guys! They must be worried sick! I didn't even tell them…_**

Duo started running. He ran and ran, out the hospital, out into the cold wind. **_Man it's cold out here. I wish I could've gotten my coat…Heero deserves it anyway. Good, here's my car. Don't think I could have stood another moment outside. It's way too cold. Reminds me of Heero's heart. _**

He started his black convertible and backed it out, screeching the tires. Duo took off down the road, pushing the speed limits as much as he dared. It was a ways to the pilots house. **_Got to get there quick. It's really late. They might think I'm dead. They can't think that. I've got to tell them about Heero. Here it is. I made it. Wow that was quick. Maybe I shouldn't have sped…nah. I'm glad I did._**

Duo parked the car and jumped out. Fumbling with the lock, he opened the door to the apartment building where they all lived. Checking the first floor, he found a note;

Duo, when you didn't

come home with Heero,

we ordered out. We are

all upstairs on my floor.

See you soon, I hope

Quatre

Duo folded up the note, and headed toward the stairs.

When the war had ended, the five boys decided that they wanted to remain together. They had fought too many battles, and been in too many tough times to separate. So they went house shopping. The boys had all wanted a house big enough for them all to have room to live in without running all over each other.

Investing in an apartment building had seemed the right thing to do. With all their government money, they had bought a six story apartment building. There was the main floor, which they turned into a kind of "family" floor. The 2nd floor was Heero's, he liked to be near the entrance. Wu Fei's floor was 3rd, Quatre's 4th. Trowa claimed the 5th floor, and Duo himself had taken the 6th floor. 

After a minute or so, Duo arrived at Quatre's floor. **_I can hear laughter and sounds of eating coming from Quatre's livingroom, so that's where they must be._** Duo walked into the rich rugged room without knocking. 

The boys were surrounded with what looked liked leftover Chinese food. Quatre was sipping some tea, comfortably situated on a plushy chair. Trowa seemed satisfied with the floor, because that's where he lay. Wu Fei was relaxing on Quatre's couch. His shirt was unbuttoned, and he looked for all the world as if he had consumed a bit too much Chinese food.

"Hey guys." Duo greeted, without a smile on his face.

"Where's Heero?" Quatre asked, his voice and face betraying worry.

"All I know is, Maxwell wasn't here to cook his awful food." Wu Fei vouched, the 18-year-old looking up from the sofa. 

"Next time, you can make your own food _Wuffie_." Duo snarled.

"The next time you call me Wuffie…" Wu Fei began.

Trowa decided that it was time to enter into this conversation before it launched into a full scale fight. "That's enough you guys. Sit down Duo. I'll get you some food so you can tell us what happened."

Duo did as he was told, sitting down in a chair next to Quatre. When he shivered, the gracious Arabian boy covered him with a blanket. Trowa soon entered with a plate full of Chinese food he had hidden from Wu Fei earlier. Handing it to the American boy, he muttered one word,

"Talk." 

Accepting the plate of food gratefully, Duo quickly ate it up before beginning,

"I got a call from Meran today, you know, that girl Heero was guarding?"

"Yeah…reminded me of Merian." Wu Fei said quietly, a sad look coming on his face. 

"Who?" Quatre asked curiously.

"Oh…no body. Sorry about that, keep going." Wu Fei answered.

"Anyway, she told me that Heero's in the hospital." Duo finished.

"What?!" All three exclaimed. 

"What are you waiting for, I want to see him!" Quatre protested.

"Guys, he…" Duo began.

"Tell us in the car." Trowa remarked coldly, tossing Duo a coat. 

"Alright." Duo agreed, pulling on the fur lined coat. **_Weird. I've never seen this coat before. Where did it come from? Maybe Quatre bought it today. He said he was going to do some shopping._**

"Hey Maxwell! Can we use your car? It's the fastest." Wu Fei yelled, hopping into the black convertible's driver seat. 

"Sure." Duo muttered, jumping in the back with Quatre, while Trowa joined Wu Fei in the front.

"Thanks." Wu Fei smiled, backing quickly out of the apartment, the steel gate shutting with a bang behind them. 

Pulling shades over his eyes, Wu Fei sped up. The Chinese boy grinned wickedly, obviously happy with the way the convertible was handling. Pulling out in front of a car, he booked it, bushing the black car to its limit. 

"Wu Fei, slow down!" Quatre screamed. The boy didn't listen, but continued to speed down the highway.

"Wuffie, you're gonna ruin my car!" Duo protested, leaning out in front.

Once again, no response. Then Trowa yelled, "Cop!"

Shouting something that wasn't pretty, the Chinese pilot pulled over. Handing the boys shades, he waited for the cop. **_If he's this slow, why didn't I just keep going? I could have out run him._** He thought to himself.

The cop arrived, his sirens all ablaze. After he had parked, the man stepped out of his car. Wearing a stern face and cold eyes, he was a frightening sight indeed. Then he leaned down and peered in the window saying gruffly,

"Did you realize you were speeding?"

"No, the thought never crossed by mind that 173 might be above the speed limit." Wu Fei snapped.

"Rolling his eyes, the cop continued, "Do you have an excuse?"

"No." Wu Fei replied coldly. "One of my best friends is in the hospital. He could be dying right now. Sounds more like a reason to me." 

"100 dollars." The cop stated, handing him the tickets.

As he was reaching for his wallet, a thought came to mind. "If someone told you your child was dying right now, would you jump in your car and speed to get there as fast as possible?"

The cop shifted his weight uncomfortably, leaning against the frame. Taking off his cap, the man ran his fingers through his brown hair. This wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"C'mon kid. Make my job easy and just hand over the money."

"Answer the question."

"The money."

"THE QUESTION!!!!"

"THE MONEY!"

"Just give him the money." Trowa nudged the seething boy.

His long fingers ran along the soft leather of his black wallet. Pulling out a standard issue military $1000 check, he muttered, 

"Got change?"

Startled the cop pulled out his own walled, muttering to himself, "The army. No wonder he can't drive."Quickly exchanging $900 for the check, he went back to his car.

"Thank you very much."

Snorting, Wu Fei his the gas, a little more controlled this time. Wu Fei pulled up to the parking lot, careful not to scrape Maxwell's precious car. Why the boy had nicknamed it "The God of Death" he wasn't sure. However, Duo would seriously injure anyone who damaged it. Therefore, not a lot of people dared to drive the stupid thing. 

Grey skies met their eyes as the foursome as they stepped out of the "Death" car. All four of them kept their eyes down, none willing to face the grim halls of the hospital. None of them wanted to think about how Heero was doing. Would he be okay?

   [1]: mailto:dartstripe@yahoo.com



	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Hey guys! I had a request to finish this story! Thanks to anyone who emailed me! This chapter is short, only a couple of pages, but I wanted to finish it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Jet

P.s. (The hugging, for any of you who may think it, is strictly not yaoi. Friends hug.)

As always, send questions, flames, and comments to [dartstripe@yahoo.com][1]!

Trowa walked up to the information desk, and calmly asked the lady, "Can I have the room number of Heero Yuy?"

"I'm sorry. That room number is confidential. The patient is in critical condition and cannot be seen." The lady returned, but she didn't really sound sorry.

Duo had heard the conversation, and walked up to her. "What are you talking about? I went in and saw him...maybe an hour ago!"

Her bright blue eyes snapped open in realization. "Wh…are you Duo Maxwell?"

"You'd better believe it." Duo said defiantly. He was mad, and wanted to see his friend.

"I…I'm so sorry! 15th floor, room 543." She replied. "And tell the doctor who you are!" She called to the boys who were running down the hallway.

"They moved him. He was in 144 before. I…don't know why they moved him."

The boys didn't bother to wait for an elevator, but ran up 10 flights of stairs. When they reached the tenth floor, Trowa noticed a very disturbing sign. It read, "Mental Rehabilitation Center." 

"Wha?…like an asylum?" Wu Fei asked quietly.

"An asylum? Why would Heero…" Quatre stopped as he thought of something. 

Trowa turned to the American boy. "What's wrong with Heero?"

Duo looked panicked. "A lot of stuff. He broke his arm, got really beat up, hurt his legs…actually, he _crushed_ them, and- " Duo was cut off by a gasp from Quatre.

"He…crushed his legs? Totally crushed them?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah." Duo whispered. "He…probably will never be able to walk again." 

Quatre didn't say anything, but looked up at Trowa with tear filled eyes. Green eyes showed sympathy for the blonde boy, and a hidden fear for Heero. Turning to Duo, he asked, 

"What else."

"…nothing." Duo lied.

"WHAT ELSE." Trowa demanded, louder.

"NOTHING!" Duo screamed. 

"Look, he wouldn't be in here if he wasn't mental! So just spit it out! He's mental, he's mental, and he's mental! It's not that hard to say!" Trowa burst out, tears in his eyes now.

Duo was sobbing. "He…I don't really know what happened to him. He can't talk very well, and couldn't tell me. He can't even eat by himself! He told me, with a lot of stuttering…'something wrong in my head.' Something wrong in my head! He knew what was wrong with him! Why…why did they put him in here?!"

When he felt a hand on his shoulder, Duo looked up. He was surprised to see Wu Fei standing there. "I don't know why he's in here, but we'll find out. Let's go."

Duo nodded, and the friends went off to see Heero. 

Heero was sleeping when they came in. It was kinda funny. He always seemed to be sleeping. Maybe the doctors thought that they could sleep him right through this problem.

"Heero?" Duo whispered. **_Wake up Heero…please wake up!_**

"Mmmh…Wha?" **_I hope Duo…is that his name?…yes…is here._** Heero's eyelids fluttered open, and he struggled to get up. Two strong arms helped him. They weren't Duo's.

"Wh…who…are you?" Heero asked. **_I should know this guy. He looks familiar. His eyes…they're dark green and lifeless…like my own. Come on who is it?_**

"Don't remember me Heero?" The mysterious figure asked.

"I…" Heero stopped. **_That voice…I barely ever hear it. So deep…it's-_**"Trowa!" His eyes snapped in recognition.

Trowa grinned a very rare grin. "That's right. Now…how about the rest of them." He gestured to the other three people other than himself in the room.

"Duo!" Heero's voice cracked as his eyes zoomed to the familiar face. **_I'm glad you're back Duo…I don't know how long it's been…minutes or hours, but I…I'm glad you're back._**

His American friend rushed to the bedside, and took the Japanese boy in his arms. Heero embraced him with one arm. **_I missed you Heero._** Duo thought to himself as he let go. 

"How ya been? They been nice to ya?" Duo asked.

"Y…yeah. It's been…nice here. I…don't…know how lo…long I've…been here." He murmured. "Who…else is here?" He asked. **_I know I should recognize them too…they're my other friends…I think. I…don't know who they are._**

"You'll have to guess. It'll be good for your memory." Duo said softly.

"Oh." Heero stated. He pushed himself into a more comfortable position, leaning on the bedpost. "You fi…first." He pointed to one of them. **_Blonde…short, but not shorter than me. He looks nice. Q! His name starts with Q. Now if I could hear his voice…"_**

"Hi Heero." The boy said softly. 

**__**

Those big blue eyes…those tears…I've seen tears like that before…it's…it's- "Quatre!" 

The blonde Arabian grinned, going over and giving Heero a hug as well. 

"I have been worried. Are you going to be okay?" Quatre asked.

"I…don't know." Heero replied, looking up at him with his cobalt blue eyes.

**__**

His eyes…they're not intelligent anymore! They're not as sharp, or even cruel. It's like Heero's not all there…oh no…Quatre thought, struggling to hold back the tears.

"It's good to see you again." Quatre said before he lost control, and wet tears slid down his face. 

"Yeah." **_One more to go. He looks stern…and well, mad at the world. He's got to be Chinese, they way his eyes are slanted. Chinese? I can tell! Maybe I am getting better! I even know who it is! It's Wu Fei!_**

"They brought you along Wu Fei?" He asked. **_A whole sentence, I said a whole sentence! _**

"It's more like I brought them along." Wu Fei smiled.

"In my car." Duo reminded. 

"You're car…it's black…right?" Heero asked. **_Come on…it's gotta be black. I mean, you're wearing black!_**

"Yeah…it is. Glad you could remember!" Duo exclaimed.

At that moment, a nurse came in. She was the same nurse that Heero had had before…Nurse Amy. "Hello boys. Back so soon?"

"We came to see if Heero can come home with us." Trowa said coldly.

"I'm sorry. That's not pos-"

"Look lady, this is our friend. Did you call us to ask if we wanted him in here? No. I want him home, and I want him home _now._" Wu Fei snarled, speaking for all.

"Yeah." Duo added. Quatre's tears were answer enough.

"I can't…but it's not…oh, I'll file a report. It will take a few hours to be processed. Can you wait?"

"Yes. Thank you ma'am." Quatre said, eyeing his angry friends with concern.

"I'll…see you soon." The nurse replied nervously. 

When she was gone, the boys pulled up chairs and sat in a semi-circle around the bed. They looked at each other, none of them voicing a word. Heero broke the silence,

"What…now?" **_I'm kinda bored._**

"Hmmm…I know! Let's play cards!" Duo shouted, pulling the deck from his pocket. This would be fun.

   [1]: mailto:dartstripe@yahoo.com



	3. Chapter 3

Normal disclaimer, yadeyah

Normal disclaimer, yadeyah. I'd like to thank anyone who's emailed me to write this chapter. E-mails really encourage me to write. I'll need it- the next chapter is going to be very long. You meet 5 new characters! Hehehehe. Anyway, sorry this one's so short. It's more like a transition chapter.

Jet .-_-.

Chapter 3

"I win again! Yeah!" Duo yelled, jumping up from his chair and doing a little dance around the room. "I won, I won, I won, yeah - yeah, I won!" He grinned while taking up an old dance move.

"I think Disco-boy's had too much sugar." Trowa sighed. 

"Maxwell, sit down before you hurt yourself, and us!" Wu Fei screamed with impatience. 

"But I won! I never win! This is great! I won, I won, and I won! AHHHAHAHAH!"

"Uh…Duo, did you have sugar this morning?" Quatre asked. 

"I ate a whole bag of powdered sugar. Bwahhhahahah!" Duo laughed, stripping off his shirt. 

"Uh…"

All of a sudden, at a not so opportune time, the nurse walked in with a stack of papers. At the sight of Duo dancing around shirtless, she screeched, and dropped them all on the floor. 

"Hehehe…" Red inflamed Duo's cheeks, while Heero laughed. 

"For goodness sakes Maxwell, put your shirt on before the lady faints!" Wu Fei.

Very, very embarrassed, Duo turned around and pulled on the black T-shirt that he always wore. Turning around again, he was still red. The nurse had long since regained her composure, but the braided boy was far from regaining his.

"Hehe. Sorry lady." Duo mumbled.

"That's quite alright young man. Here in the asylum we see many examples of psychotic behavior like that. Are you sure that you shouldn't be here instead of your friend?"

The red that had momentarily left his cheeks suddenly sprang out afresh. 

"Ehhhheh."

By this time, Heero was laughing so hard he was crying. **_'This feels really good. Laughing. I must not have done it much before. What _**did**_ I do before. I don't know. I can't remember…gosh Duo looks funny!_**

"Yo…you're really…red Duo." Heero gasped from laughing so hard. 

The pilots all turned and stared. Heero laughing? **_Maybe losing his memory was a good thing. I don't want him to suffer or anything, but he'll suffer more with his memories that without them. Why can't we just leave him like this? No! Don't think like that Duo! _**The braided wonder told himself. 

"Heero, that's not funny!" Duo protested. 

"Yes…it is!" He exclaimed. **_Huh. I can't figure out why it feels like I've never done this before!_**

"Is not! Bet you couldn't prove it either." Duo challenged.

"Oh yeah? I…I'm not that…bright…but I know…my body's s…strong!" He snarled, glaring. 

It looked like two friends were about to fight, when the nurse cleared her throat. Five heads turned her way. She stood there with the stack of collected papers in her hand. 

"Do you boys want to go home or not?" She asked impatiently.

"Yes." Trowa spoke for them.

"Then fill these out." She handed each of them their own stack of papers to fill out. Heero got one too. 

"Here, I'll help you fill it out."

"No. I…I'll do it my…self." He said, taking the pen in his good hand. The writing was blurry to his eyes, and he shook his head to clear them. **_This can't be good. Oh, there we go. I can read it now…barely. Name…age…occupation…what's my occupation? How old am I? I…don't remember…_**

"What's my occupation? And…how old am I?" He asked.

"Anything you can't remember, just put N/A on it. We'll understand." The nurse cooed, putting a hand on his shoulder and comforting him. 

It took almost an hour before the paperwork was finished. Quatre had finished first, as he was used to filling out forms and such things. He went around and helped the others with theirs. Wu Fei was having the most trouble. He complained that the questions weren't fair. It took some time, but the others finally forced him to complete it. 

"There, I finished the stupid paper! Are you happy now woman?" Wu Fei glared. 

"Perfectly happy." The nurse replied, scooping up the paper. "I'll be back in a minute with a wheelchair, and you can leave."

"A…wheel…chair?" Duo stuttered. He couldn't picture Heero in a wheelchair. **_He used to be so strong…a wheelchair just doesn't seem right!_**

The nurse wheeled in the chair - it was a push one so Heero could exercise his arm muscles. Trowa picked Heero up gently and set him in the chair. Since Heero obviously couldn't push himself - it's kinda hard when one of your arms is broken - one of them had to. Quatre was about to take the handles, when Duo shot him a look.

Duo took the bars and started to push Heero out of the hospital. Finally, they were going home. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It had been three weeks. Three long miserable weeks. Heero sat in his wheelchair, resting. He was always tired. So tired, he wondered if he'd ever be able to do anything. His doctors only said 'Your body is healing, give it some time.' Well, it had been two weeks, and he couldn't even move without getting that sick fainting feeling.

**__**

I suppose I should go eat something…He sighed. No one was home except Duo, who was upstairs sleeping. **_He got home at 4:40 this morning, so I'm not going to wake him up to push me to the kitchen. I'll just have to go myself. They'd all be mad if I didn't eat something…_** Lethargically, he pushed himself to the door. His cast had been taken off yesterday, and he wasn't used to using his muscles. However, he was determined to take care of himself.

**__**

I always used to be able to take care of myself. I've remembered that much. I'm not going to change that now. He told himself, swallowing desperately in order to keep any food in his stomach where it belonged, and not on the floor.

It didn't work. He stopped at the bathroom long enough to throw up in the toilet. He had done that often in the past few weeks. Even though he knew it was bad, he never told anyone about it. **_I don't want to see any more doctors. I don't care if I throw up every day, I'm not going to see any more stupid doctors!_** He mentally screamed, rinsing out his mouth to keep himself from screaming for real. 

Slowly this time, he set out again for the kitchen. It took an agonizingly long time, but he made it. Pushing himself over to the refrigerator, he poured himself a glass of milk. He got out a box of Fruit Loops and a bowl. He poured half a bowl full of cereal and filled it with milk also. Putting the food away, he took a spoon from the dish rack and moved over to the table to eat his breakfast.

Heero had just accomplished the difficult task of eating two spoonfuls of cereal, when the doorbell rang. He groaned. **_Man, I hope it's not some Jehovah witnesses…_** *I don't have anything against Jehovah witnesses, I just think it is annoying the way they knock constantly on your door. Girl scouts too.*

Moving with a speed that made him sick, Heero pushed to the window and looked out it. There, to his dismay, was a Girl Scout. She was ringing the doorbell consistently, looking up at the seven story building with a frown. She pounded on the gate in frustration, and was about to walk away, when Heero opened the window and shouted,

"Hey! Did you want something?" 

She turned around with a flash, and held onto the gate. "I'm selling cookies! Anyone in there that might want to buy one?" She asked eagerly. 

"Hold on a minute. I'll come out and let you in." Heero replied, heading for the door. Duo would kill him if he missed the chance for buying food. 

He left the door open, concentrating on rolling down the ramp. A wheelchair was hard for him to get used to. **_I don't wanna tip! No one would be around to help me up. _**He'd done that before. Flipped his wheelchair right over. That was not good.

Heero saw the look on the girl's face when she noticed the chair. He tried to ignore it, as she was trying to suppress it, but it was too obvious. He could almost hear her saying 'What a freak.' He'd seen other people look at him that way, and it hurt. 

The wheelchair-bound boy never said a word as he opened the gate. "Come on in the house. I'll get the other guy up." He said quietly, leading the blue haired girl into the apartment. 

"Do you live here all alone?" She asked once they were inside. 

"No. I live here with 4 other guys. They have jobs, so only two of us are here right now. We each have our own floor, and the guest floor. This is the 'family' floor. I've been kind of camping out here for a few days." He explained.

"Oh." 

"Have a seat. I'll go get the other guy." Heero turned and pushed himself into his room. **_I feel like an idiot. At least I can talk now…_**

He leaned over and turned on the apartment's comm system. "Duo this is Heero. Wake up."

__

Duo's Bedroom…

Duo turned. It was extremely hard to sleep at 9:00 in the morning, but he had to try. He was absolutely exhausted from working. He had only gotten five or six hours of sleep in the past few days, and none the last two. Finally, he had come home at 4:40 this morning, deciding to take a break from the scavenging business for a while. Now, Heero's voice disturbed his peaceful reverie. 

"Duo wake up. Duo! Come on Duo…there's food down here. And a girl. A cute girl. Come on Duo! She's a Girl Scout - a hot blue haired Girl Scout!"

That got his attention. The braided wonder jumped out of his bed and over to the comm system. "A Girl Scout?" Are we going to get some cookies? Huh? Are we, are we?"

The answer was brief. "If you come down here we will." 

"Coming!" Duo replied, turning the communication system off. 

He brought some pants to change into, and sped out the door. As he was racing down the stairs, he thought to himself, **_Heero sounded really tired. I wonder if there's anything wrong. He would tell, wouldn't he? I hope so. Oh well. I've got to be cheerful. Food! Yeah, the girl has food. Wait a minute…Heero's alone downstairs with a girl? Crap!_** He ran even faster, and burst through the kitchen door breathless.

"What's your problem? Really hungry? Or don't you trust me." Heero gave a small smile.

"No…huff…I…uhh…puff…just…you…were down here all alone, and…" Duo stopped, staring at the girl.

"Her name is Sky High. I think she wants you to buy some cookies." Heero suggested.

"Uh…sure! Do you have an order list?"

"Yes, here it is." She pulled out a paper, pencil, and a calculator to figure costs. "Go ahead and fill it out!"

"Okay." Duo thought for a while, then scribbled his order on the paper.

He walked around the table to give it to her, forgetting that he was only in his black silk boxers and a black wifebeater. Sky looked him over and smiled to herself, trying to conceal her amusement. Heero caught on, luckily, Duo didn't.

"Do you want everything on this list?" She asked. 

"Yup."

Sky was shocked, but she certainly didn't argue. After totaling the order up, she announced, "It comes to $238.45" 

"$238.45?!" Heero yelped.

"Uh-huh."

Duo turned a little red and turned to Heero. "Can I borrow some money? Just until I get paid?"

"How much?"

"$238.25." He replied sheepishly. 

"What did you spend the rest of your money on?" Heero asked curiously.

Duo leaned over and whispered, "Hair care products and clothes."

Heero turned in shock. "Sure you can borrow the money…but we're having a talk later."

__

20 minutes later…

Duo is sitting on the couch, practically scarfing down cases of cookies. Heero swore he heard him purr in pleasure. That was pretty scary. 

"Don't eat all of those. I want some, and I'm sure the others do."

"Aw, c'mon, they won't be back for a long time…I can't wait that long…"

"You'll live." Heero threatened. Even slightly mental, wheelchair bound, and missing half his memories, Heero was a threatening person.

"Okay." Duo squeaked. **_I can wait. Hmm…I wonder how everyone else is doing…_**

__

At the local circus…

Trowa wiped the sweat off his body with a soft towel. It took a lot of strength to perform his acrobatics, and to keep up that strength, he had to work out. The circus had it's own gym, and he used it during his breaks. Right now, the circus was taking a lunch break. He didn't perform until after lunch, so he decided to go get something to eat. Catherine would throw a fit if he didn't.

Walking over to pick up his sandwich, he noticed a girl standing by the road. Her long black hair concealed much of her face, but he could tell she was gorgeous. Her intense, ice blue eyes studied the circus, and the people working there. She seemed to be looking to see if it was worth asking for a job. Beside her was a huge tiger who was also studying everyone. 

Trowa felt her burning gaze on him. He knew she was studying his bare chest. Accepting this fact, he lifted his gaze so she could see one of his jade green eyes. As the other was covered with his long bangs; she couldn't see it if she wanted to. Their eyes met, and Trowa felt something - something small, but it was enough for him to walk over and talk to her.

The tiger made no growl as he approached. He had expected that. Thought the girl seemed a tad surprised, he continued with what he was going to say. 

"Who are you?" He asked. **_Oh that was nice Trowa. You think you make yourself better than anyone by not talking, but really, you can be just as stupid by saying little. Now it sounds like you want her to scram._**

"That's my own business…unless you work here." The girl replied carefully.

Trowa only nodded. **_I don't talk to anyone else, and she's not going to get the special treatment just because I…feel something for her._**

"Oh. Dakota. Dakota Slayer." She replied. 

"Are you looking for a job?" He asked, though it was more a statement than a question.

"Do you think I'd be talking to you if I didn't?" She asked skeptically.

He was beginning to get angry. As he always did, he locked it behind his face. **_It is to your advantage to keep the enemy from knowing they scored a point. Wait a minute…she's not an enemy…yet…_**

"If you keep that attitude, you'll never get a job." He snapped. "If you want to get hired, talk to the ringmaster - and be polite." He ended with the slightest hint of a snarl. **_How could I have felt something for that?_**

"Trowa!" His sister called, "Come eat something! I want to practice my throwing after you eat!" 

"Coming!" He replied, running off to his sister.

Dakota Slayer watched him go. At first, she had thought that she felt something for the strange boy. Whatever it was, it was definitely gone now. Sure, he was cute, but very, very rude. He thought he knew everything. 

**__**

No one knows everything. She retorted to herself. "Come on Saber, let's go find that ringmaster." 

__

Later, in the practice field…

Catherine was doing good today. Se hadn't come close to spearing him yet. Well, to passerby, she almost hit him every time. They were the only two who knew when it was _really_ close. **'Thunk!' **Another one imbedded itself right next to his ear. _That_ was a close one.

She was in the middle of a throw, when the ring master called his name, 

"Trowa!"

The distraction made her throw off, and the knife twisted down. Trowa's eyes widened a fraction as the knife came towards him. The blade captivated him, he couldn't move. He heard Catherine's scream, and felt the pain as the knife entered his right arm.

Trowa saw the blood. He was in shock for a few seconds, then he recovered, pulling the bloody knife out of his arm. He took out one of the strips of linen he kept in his pockets for such emergencies, and wrapped his arm up tightly.

Catherine ran to him. "Are you alright Trowa?"

"I'm fine." 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you! It's all my fault! Why didn't you dodge? Oh it doesn't matter! If I was any good, I wouldn't have hit you! Trowa I'm sorry!"

In a rare flash of emotion, he gathered his sister in his arms, trying to comfort her. "It's okay, it'll be alright." He soothed.

Dakota watched from a distance. Her whole attitude towards him had changed. He wasn't heartless, and he certainly wasn't a coward. **_I may be strong, and I'm definitely not a coward, but I don't know if I could do that. I can tame tigers, but I don't think I could stand there and let someone throw knives at me. What if they missed, like that girl just did?_** She pondered the thought for a while, until the ringmaster spoke again.

"Trowa, are you able to work?" The ringmaster asked quietly.

He looked up from his embrace, and replied, "My flips might be a little weak tonight, but I can, yes." He always replied in a full answer to the ringmaster.

"Then I would like you to work with our new girl, Dakota Slayer. She will be working in the ring with her tiger. Perhaps you two could work out a new routine, say, with you and her tiger. Sound like a good idea?"

"Yes sir." He replied, knowing it wasn't an option.

Dakota sighed. She didn't need to be 'shown the ropes,' she knew what she was doing. And as for that routine, sure, it would be a tourist trap, but doing it with that boy? **_Why me?_**

Trowa broke his hold on Cathy, and asked, "Will you be okay?" 

When she nodded, he walked away. He headed for Dakota, and upon reaching her, he said, "Come on. We have a lot of work to do." She didn't reply.

The ringmaster called, "Good luck!" Then, turning to Catherine, he said, "Now Cathy, we need to work on that throw. You can't be startled when someone in the audience talks…" His voice faded out as they walked away.

****

Great. I have to train someone. Again. And it just had to be her. This is going to be one interesting day…

__

Quatre's office…

It was three o'clock. So far, it had been a very busy day. Managing all of the Winner Families' affairs wasn't easy. Besides managing all the business facilities, he had recently begun a new program that helped the people living on his land find jobs. He was almost done, the list had been processed, and he was pairing up the people's abilities with jobs. 

Just then, his secretary buzzed him. "Mr. Winner?"

His tired blue eyes looked up from all the paperwork. "Yes Elizabeth?"

"Someone is here to see you about a job. Should I send her in?" The secretary asked.

"Uh…" Quatre sighed. **_More work to do. Still, I can't really turn anyone down…_** "Alright, send her in."

"I'll get right on it Mr. Winner. She will be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you Elizabeth." Quatre replied, turning back to the load of papers he still had to sort through. He had filled out a few recommendation forms when there was a knock on the door. 

"Come in." he directed in a tired voice.

"Alright." In walked a tall girl with long purple hair. The thick strands were pulled back into a ponytail, while a few escaping pieces framed her beautiful face. She smiled, a brilliant smile that lit up her whole face, so much like Quatre's own. 

"Hello. I'm J'Amier Starlight. I was wondering if you might know where I could get a job."

Quatre was captivated. The girls slim features caught his eyes and kept them there. Everything she wore fit her so perfectly - flare jeans, high heeled boots, a beautiful blue tanktop…man, was she gorgeous. 

"Mr. Winner? Mr. Winner…" She called.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. A job, well…I've had a lot of applications for those recently." He indicated to the formidable pile of papers on his desk. 

"Oh, I didn't know…I'm sorry. I can find a job myself…"

"No, no. Have a seat. I'm sure I can find something…" Quatre gestured to one of the large, plushy chairs in his office. 

"Thank you." She replied, pulling one up to his oak desk.

"Now," Quatre began, wheeling his chair *I love wheely chairs! Quatre just had to have one! .-_-. * "What are you experienced in?" He questioned.

"Well…" J'Amier put her arms on his desk, pondering for a minute before answering. "I'm good at martial arts. I've always wanted to be an instructor."

Quatre raised an eyebrow. "A martial arts instructor?" Wu Fei had mentioned the fact that he needed help with all the new kids in his program…this would be perfect. "I have a job in mind. It's a part-time one down at the local martial arts center."

"Oh that's perfect!" She exclaimed. "Where is it?"

Quatre looked at the clock. The shiny brass hands pointed to 4:00. Ah…he could stand to go home early for once. He could show J'Amier the center, and beg Wu Fei to give her a job. **_Besides,_** he argued with himself, **_I deserve a break. These papers can wait until tomorrow…I'm already a day ahead anyway…alright I'll go. _**

"I'll take you there myself." Quatre offered. "Just give me a moment to get my things, and we'll be on our way."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" J'Amier exclaimed. This was perfect.

__

Wu Fei Chang's martial Arts Center…

At the end of the day, Wu Fei always gave his students a chance to challenge him. It made them learn respect for their master, as well as giving them a chance to get rid of any cocky attitudes they had from one of his rare compliments. This was always Wu Fei's favorite part of the day. Sometimes an older student would think his age was superior to Wu Fei's 18 years. It never was.

Wu Fei smirked to himself. Who would be the fool to challenge him today? **_Some would call me prideful. I am not. I merely have developed my skills to the best ability, and perfect them everyday. I am a warrior, I am a man, and I am superior._** The smirk faded as he repeated the phrase taught to him so long ago. **_I am a warrior, I am a man, and I am superior._**

"So, who is brave enough to challenge me today?" He asked the group of students sitting on the matted floor.

No one spoke up. The silence was not surprising. Over the past few months, they had seen the damage Wu Fei had caused to rebellious and rambunctious students who thought that they could outwit their master. 

Wu Fei noticed a girl over in the corner. She had blond hair, with a small ice blue braid dangling down on one side. Her bright blue eyes studied everyone in the room, as mine did. She wore a tanktop and a pair of fashionable jean shorts. He saw the pom-poms in her hands, and almost groaned. A cheerleader.

"Brett! Go challenge him! You'll win, I know it!" She cheered.

Brett Cunningham looked up from his place on the mat. He was usually a very quiet boy, strong in abilities, but never underestimating anyone else because of them. Normally, he wouldn't have thought about challenging Wu Fei…but that girl…

"I'll challenge you Master Chang." He said quietly, getting up off his feet. Wu Fei was shocked, to say the least.

"Alright! Go bro!" The girl cheered, causing her brother to turn red.

Wu Fei looked at the girl closely. There wasn't much of a similarity…how could they be related? Then it hit him. **_Brett's father died in the war. I remember that now. She must be a half-sister._**

"If you wish. Step into the circle." Wu Fei granted.

Brett slowly pushed himself to his feet, walking nervously over to his master. He took a good stance, as he had been taught. Nevertheless, he had no hope of winning.

Brett started the fight with an attempted drop kick. However, this caused him to be momentarily off balance. That was all his master needed. Lashing out with a double roundhouse kick (is that even a move?) he kicked his student into the wall. The fight was promptly over. 

Wu Fei walked over and helped Brett to his feet. Even though he hadn't used all of his strength to kick his student, the boy would probably still be limping. He was right. 

Brett got up and slowly limped over to his sister, without a backward glance at his master. Wu Fei was tempted to go up and reprimand Brett for his disrespect, but something stopped him. From the way the boy was walking, he had been hurt rather badly. It didn't excuse him for not using common courtesy, but he could understand.

"Class dismissed." He ended, turning away. 

__

4:45…

Most of the students had departed. Wu Fei had cleaned up, changed back into jeans and a shirt, and was about ready to go home when he noticed that Brett and his half-sister were still there. **_Why didn't they go home? I wonder if that girl is going to yell at me. Girls have a tendency to overreact. I hope Brett's not hurt too bad, he's one of my good students, and I'd hate for him to get behind._**

"Brett, is there anything you wanted to speak to me about?" He asked.

The injured boy looked up. "This is my half-sister, Ice Berk. She came to cheer me on today."

"Master Chang -"

"Mr. Chang. Only my students refer to me as _Master_ Chang." He corrected gently. **_So she is his half-sister, and what a pretty one she is…_**

"I'm sorry Mr. Chang."

"That's alright. Please continue." Wu Fei assured.

"I'm sorry that I…caused Brett's injury. It was entirely my fault. If I hadn't cheered him on, he wouldn't have challenged you, and then he wouldn't have gotten hurt! Now he won't be able to train for at least a week!" Ice cried.

"I never said that." Brett added quietly.

Ice was hysterical by this time. "No, you said two weeks, or more! Brett, I-" She stopped again, realizing again that she was supposed to be apologizing to Mr. Chang, not her brother. 

"I can give you something that will help." Wu Fei told his student.

For the first time, Brett looked up at his master. His cobalt blue eyes were clouded over with pain. He desperately needed something for his injury. 

"Really?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes. I got it out for you. I knew you'd need it." Wu Fei said gently, pulling out a bag of soft, blue powder. "Take a spoonful of this and dissolve it in a large bowl of hot water. Dip a cloth into it, lay the cloth on your injury, and you will be back in class in no time." 

"Thank you Master Chang." Brett said, taking the bag. "Come on Ice, let's go."

"Alright. Goodbye Master - Mr. Chang." Ice waved goodbye. She took her brother's arm, and helped him walk.

Wu Fei watched his student limp painfully out of his martial art's center. He felt badly about the boy, but there was nothing more he could do. He had done what he could, now it was up to Brett, and whoever was taking care of him.

The teenager picked up his belongings, and walked over to the light switch. He flicked it off, slowly leaving his building. As he was locking up, he heard a familiar voice. 

"Wu Fei! Wu Fei, wait up! I have a question for you!" 

Sure enough, it was Quatre. A slim, pretty girl ran behind him. He waited, and the duo soon caught up. 

"Wu Fei, this is J'Amier Starlight. She has experience in martial arts, and was wondering if she could get a job." Quatre introduced.

Wu Fei eyed the girl. There was hidden strength in her bones, and a certain something about her reminded him of Merian…"Alright. You can have the job. You will be paid based upon how well you teach." He agreed. 

Quatre smiled, as did J'Amier. "Perhaps you could discuss more of this over supper." Quatre suggested. 

**__**

Always the kind one, the one to offer hospitality to the next person he can offer it to. Sometimes, I think I am too much like Heero… "As you wish." He agreed, and the trio started off for home.

__

At the gate outside the apartment building…

Heero looked longingly out at the street. Not too many people were going by at this time of night. Everyone was eating dinner with their families. **_Family. Something I wish I had…_** He gripped the bars desperately with his hands, hoping to see someone he knew, even if it was a doctor. Looking for someone who wouldn't glance at him like everyone else did. That hurt more than all of his physical pain. 

All of a sudden, his eyes focused on someone on the other side of the street. It was a girl. She was small, but gracefully built. Her hair was a lovely reddish-brown color. He found himself drown to her, and he called out softly, 

"Hey."

"Huh?" The girl spun, looking around.

"Over here. The boy by the gate." He said, as softly as before.

Peering at both sides of the road, she quickly ran over. She looked down at him, and smiled. That's right, smiled. She didn't do anything else. Heero's head spun. **_She's smiling. She doesn't look at me funny! Hm…she looks hungry. Maybe she can stay for dinner…_**

"Would you like…to have dinner with me?"

The girl was shocked. After all, that is not a question you ask to a complete stranger. But she was hungry so…

"Alright."

Heero smiled this time. He reached up and unlocked the gate, letting the girl in. Taking her arm, he led her up to the door. Finally, he had found someone who understood him.

Well, what did you think? Pretty long huh. I wanted to make up for the last one. I also want to thank anyone who pestered me enough to write this. Thank you all. I really like this fic now, so the next chapter may be out very soon! 

Jet

P.S. don't own GW! (Though I would like to think I have a claim on Heero…)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The dinner table was full that night. Everyone, it seemed, had brought home a girl. They all had eaten to their heart's content, pigging out on pizza that the ever-talented Duo Maxwell had…ordered. It was very good.

Now the table was bare. All the food, was, of course, gone, and Quatre, being his gentlemanly self, had cleared it. Ralara, the girl Heero had brought in, was bored. She looked over at the wheelchair bound boy beside her, and asked a simple, yet forbidden question.

"Heero, what happened to your legs?"

All the chatter stopped. Even Duo was silent. Ever since Heero's accident, they had all been very careful with that subject. Heero had seemed to be getting better, but they didn't want to press the issue. They had all figured that Heero would tell them when he was ready. Now, everyone held their breath, waiting for Heero to break loose. But he didn't.

"I…uh…It's a long story." He said, shifting uncomfortably. His hands played with the ever present blanket around his legs, hiding the deformed lumps from sight.

"Well…we have time to hear it. At least, I don't have anywhere to go."

"I…uh…um…" Heero started coughing. **_Not now! You can't throw up, or cough up blood…they'll find out. All she asked was for your story. You can at least tell her that._**

But it will hurt….A part of him complained.

**__**

Yeah, like I'm not in pain right now! Now suck it up and start talking.

"I guess I should tell you all." He said, the mild coughing fit subsiding. "It all started about 2 months ago when I was guarding this girl…

__

~ Flashback ~

"Meran, there is a death threat on you. I do not trust your regular guards with this mission." Heero said, standing erect and looking at her with serious eyes.

The diplomat shook out auburn hair, retying it into a pony-tail. "Heero, I will survive without you, you know. Besides, don't you miss your family and friends?"

Heero graced her with another of his cobalt stares. "This is my mission. As for family and friends, I have none." He said icily. 

Meran looked somewhat confused. "But what about the boys you live with?"

"Battle partners. Acquaintances perhaps, but not friends. No one could be my friend anyway. I'm too cold and distant. I have never had one, and now I am sure I never will." He replied stiffly. 

"Oh Heero…that's sad." Meran said softly.

"I have no regrets." Looking at his watch, he remarked, "You should go to bed now. You have to get up early tomorrow."

"Alright Heero. Will you sleep tonight?" She asked.

"Perhaps." 

They both knew he wouldn't. When he had a mission, he stuck to it. For the past two or three weeks, it had been protecting Meran full-time. There was a red-alert out for her safety, and he hadn't slept since getting it. 

Heero guided Meran to her chambers. Once she was inside, he sat down and leaned against the wooden door. He pulled his gun out of the hiding place in the left side of his shorts. Then he thought to himself, as he often did, about why he was here.

****

Face it Yuy. You're not doing it for her, or for her cause. You don't have even the slightest amount of attraction for her, not even the amount you have for Relena, however small that may be. The only reason you're here is that you're a soldier. You live for the mission, the thrill that cold rush of blood gives you. Missions are like a high for you Yuy. When you have them, you don't think of anything else. You use them to keep yourself from remembering. You'll always be a soldier…a soldier…a soldier…

Later that night

Meran woke to the sound of furious knocking at her door. **It must be Heero.** She thought to herself. Slipping on a pair of shorts on under her nightdress, she opened the door.

Meran was startled to see Heero standing there, his shirt in tatters. What was left of the green fabric was turning brown from blood. His chest was entirely covered in blood, seeping out of three or four gunshot wounds. Heavy breaths were coming out of his mouth, and his eyes were beginning to glaze over.

"Meran…I've evacuated the building…we've got to get out of here…the assassin could…be anywhere." He gasped.

"Heero! What happened to you?!" She asked, shocked.

"Never mind about me. I…am…fine. I've got to get you to safety."

Meran looked horrified. "No! I'm getting you some bandages!" She ran to her closet before he could stop her, grabbing a handful of the thin white strips.

"Here." She said, handing them to him.

Heero stripped what remained of his tanktop off, and immediately began wrapping his chest with the bandages. He knew that she wouldn't go anywhere unless he was wrapped, and they needed to leave…soon. When he was finished, he tied off the knot, and said,

"Alright, I'm fine. Now let's go!" He grabbed her hand and began to run with her down the hallway. For being injured, he was running pretty fast.

They made it to the lobby of the building without any trouble. The fact that it had been so easy made Heero nervous. The assassin wasn't stupid, Heero knew that from the aching pain that was now shooting up his chest. He suddenly felt the urge to couch. He tried to ignore it, but it was persistent. Soon, he began to choke.

"Meran…stop…uh…*cough, cough, hack, hack….hack…*" Heero leaned over, coughing up into his hand. When he pulled it away, it was covered in blood.

"Heero! You're hurt worse than I thought!"

"I'm…fine." He replied stubbornly, wiping his hand on his shorts. He didn't tell her that it was getting harder to breathe. He headed for the door, his gun cocked and ready. 

Suddenly, all of the doors sealed themselves, as did all the windows. It left the lobby in a shady darkness. Heero growled.

"I…know you're *cough* here! Come…*violent cough*…out!" Heero stopped, keeling over and hacking up even more blood. He gasped for air when he stopped. **This is bad. If this keeps up…I'll be on the floor in a few minutes…and dead in the next hour.** But he said nothing.

No one came out. Heero waited two minutes…three, and there was still no sign of anyone. He coughed again, this time collapsing on the floor from pain. It wasn't possible to stand anymore. He had just lost too much blood. 

Heero knew the attacker was waiting for him to pass out from blood loss. Since he was already somewhat paralyzed, it wouldn't be long before unconsciousness took him over. Or at least, that would be the assassin's thinking. Well he'd show him!

"I…can lose a quart and a half of blood and still…survive! I hope…you know you'll be here awhile." He growled. 

A deep, demonic voice floated out of the shadows. It sounded a lot like Heero's own voice. "Oh…I don't think I'll have to wait long."

Meran jumped at the voice. "Who are you? Why do you want to do this?" She knelt next to Heero, who was once again trapped in a violent coughing fit. 

"Someone Heero knows." The voice said again. The owner of the voice suddenly stepped out of the shadows. "Heero and I used to have lots of fun together. Isn't that right Heero?" It said tauntingly.

The figure was tall, probably over six feet. His body was strong and muscular, showing time of working out in a gym, or at home. He had mossy brown hair, the shade of Heero's, only this boy's hair fell in a ponytail down his back. Piercing blue eyes, a shade icier than cobalt stared demonically out from his head in a glare that could rival Heero's own. But it was something else, a darkness that radiated from the being that made her afraid.

Heero looked up at the figure, his eyes opening wide. "Odin…"

~ Back to Present ~

Heero stopped, tears streaming down his face. **_This is…harder than I thought it would be…_**

"Oh…Heero I didn't…know. You don't have to continue if you don't want to."

Heero stubbornly wiped the forbidden tears from his face. "No. I said I would tell you…and I mean it." He said quietly. He reached over and gripped Ralara's hand. Closing his eyes, he began where he left off.

__

~ Back to Flashback ~

"Odin…*violent cough*…I thought you were dead. I thought I…"

"Killed me? You could never kill me little brother." Odin smiled devilishly. 

Meran gasped. "You two are…related?"

Heero looked up from where he lay. "Yes. He met me when Dr. J took me in. You could say he help to train me." *More coughing.*

"Well now Aiden, you have failed. I will take her, get the reward for her capture, and you…will die. Goodbye Aiden." He pulled out a gun from his pocket and aimed it at Heero's chest. Heero knew that if his took one more bullet, he would be gone.

"No!" Heero leapt up, tackling his brothers gun. He took Odin's throat in a chokehold, pointing the gun at him. "Now…*cough* Omae o' korosu." With that, he pulled the trigger, and his brother lay dead in his arms.

Reality hit Heero, and he realized what he had just done. "Odin! ODIN! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He hugged his brother's dead body, a few tears sliding down his face.

All of a sudden, the building began to rumble. Heero broke away from his sorrow and looked up at the ceiling. Huge pieces began to fall to the ground. 

"Meran, look out!" He said, throwing himself on top of her, using his body as a shield. The building began to fall, and Heero was not even aware that a bookcase had fallen on his legs. He had already passed out.

~ End of Flashback ~

Heero was sobbing now. He murmured his brother's name to himself, more tears sliding down. No one really knew what to say, as no one had ever seen Heero cry before. 

"Heero…it'll be okay…I'm sorry for asking. Now hush…it'll be alright." Ralara soothed. Slowly his sobs subsided, and he wiped off the tears onto his sleeve.

"Can I go to bed now?" Heero asked.

"Bed? What time is it?" Dakota asked, looking up at the clock. "12:30! Can…I spend the night?"

"Me too?" Asked the rest of the girls.

Heero looked at Duo. Duo looked at Wu Fei. Wu Fei looked at Trowa, who looked at Quatre. 

"Um…the guest floor isn't ready yet ladies…we weren't expecting company."

"That's alright. We can stay on this floor, with Heero!" Ralara suggested.

Eyebrows shot up al around the room. "Are you sure?" Quatre asked hesitantly. 

"Oh come on." Dakota groaned. "I know tai quand do, martial arts, karate, judo, and anything else you can think of! Heero's not going to hurt anyone anyway! The kid's a cripple." She exclaimed in her English accent.

Heero shot her the patented Heero Yuy Death Glare. "I AM NOT a cripple." 

Trowa decided that now was the time to talk. "Come on Heero. I'll put you to bed. As for you girls, sleep where ever you want. The couch pulls out."

Everyone nodded, and they all headed off to bed.

Well? What do you think? Do you like the way I used both of Heero's supposed 'names'? The next chapter, for all you who care, is basically all about the romance of Trowa Barton and my best friend. Have fun reading when it comes out!

Jet

P.s. Thanks for all the great reviews. They have encouraged me to write a full 33 pages of this fic so far!

P.p. Read 'Coming Home' by Megan Blackstone. (That's my best friend.) She uses my appartment building idea in it! Hehe.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Now, this story will be over 20 chapters long, cause I LIKE writing romance. So, I've got to add to the basic story. You don't really need to read this. It's just romance. That's basically it. Of course, if you don't you'll miss a really cool character. But that's fine, just ignore him. Anyway, I'll leave you alone so you can read the story. You ARE going to read it aren't you? Yes, you are. NOW READ! What are you still doing here? I told you to read the story! YOU AREN'T LISTENING! Huh! Fine! I'm leaving! GET OUT OF HERE! 

Dis: I DON'T OWN GW. YET. Note the word yet. I will be the next Bill Gates and buy Gundam Wing, and then Heero will be MINE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Then, I'm gonna give Trowa to my friend. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (Now, if you are not totally scared out of your mind, you may continue.)

Chapter 6

It was early. He always got up early. Trowa sat on the edge of the bed, getting dressed. He knew that if he went down at this hour, he would be alone. **_Ever since the accident, Heero has slept more. I suppose he is just healing, but it seems strange for him to do that_**. Trowa grunted. He never realized that he would miss having Heero around. The two quiet pilots would sit at the table and drink coffee, exchanging conversational glances. 

Now he didn't want to go downstairs. There was really no point in going down, but there was certainly no point in staying here. Trowa sighed, and walked out his door, heading for the main flight of stairs. 

That was the problem with having an apartment building. You had to walk down stairs. Now, stairs weren't a problem, as Trowa was definitely physically fit to do so, it's just that walking down four flights of stairs to get to the kitchen was a pain. For once, Trowa felt sympathy for the braided one, he had to go down six flights.

When he arrived at the main floor, he sub-consciously buttoned his loose white long-sleeved shirt halfway up. If one of the girls was sup, he should at least be wearing some of his shirt. It was inconvenient, but practical.

Trowa was surprised, but entirely thrilled, to find Dakota sitting at the bar. She looked for all the world as if she was waiting for him. Secretly, he hoped that she was. **_It's kind of funny. Yesterday morning, I couldn't stand her. Then I spent some time with her, and now…I can't keep myself away from her. The way she acts, she doesn't seem to mind a whole lot. I wonder what she'd do if I touched her…I guess now's as good a time as any. _**

Trowa sat down on the bench-like seat she was on, and slid over next to her. He put his arm around her waist as casually as he could. The burning desire to touch her was great, even if he could just hold her hand. **_The desire to touch her. Duo would tease me if he heard that sentence. I don't wanna do anything bad, like that kinda suggests, I just wanna be close to her. I…think I'm … in love with her._** Trowa explained to himself. 

Dakota raised her eyebrows at his touch, but she only replied, "You've certainly changed. I thought you didn't like me." 

Trowa drew her a little closer and whispered in her ear, "I thought so too. I was wrong. I'm glad I was."

At this point in time, Dakota was seriously considering slapping him. This had happened to her before, and it was getting to the part where boys tried things that she didn't appreciate. But Trowa lacked that greed, self-desiring look in his eyes that other boys had. And…he hadn't even liked her when he first saw her. A turn-around of this kind could only be real.

Suddenly, Dakota felt her own emotions towards Trowa spark, threatening to ignite. She liked having his arm around her waist. It was different, not like the boys who just wanted her for her looks. He really was gentle, and his touch was genuinely loving.

Trowa saw the thinking and puzzled look in her eyes, and realized something. **_Oh man, what am I doing! What if she doesn't even like me! Oh no, she's gonna get mad, and then she'll never like me._** He was hurt, but pulled his arm away.

"I'm…sorry."

"No, no…I'm glad you did too." She said quietly, pulling his arm around her body again. Dakota looked up at him and smiled. She was really enjoying herself.

Trowa looked back down at the girl. Slowly, acting on his emotions, he pulled her closer to him. It felt right, having her there. He didn't try anything, but rested there with her in his arms. **_Wow…this is a lot at once. Maybe I'll stop right here. I don't want to go too far. I don't have any experience, and don't really know what not to do, or really what to do. I don't want to hurt her with my ignorance._**

The British girl smiled again, this time to herself. She had been in a lot of relationships, and none of them were as slow as this one. Dakota had decided she liked slow relationships. Each time she was just getting used to something, her boyfriend would always want more. It led to bitter arguments and broken hearts. Dakota would do anything to keep that from repeating itself.

Absent-mindedly, she ran her fingers down his unbuttoned shirt, tracing the curves of his flesh. Her fingers touched old scars caused by battles long ago. When she touched a particularly long one, he flinched. Dakota drew her hand away, realizing two things at once. She was going much too fast for him. Besides, the wound was fresh, and she didn't want to hurt him. Quickly she pulled her hand away and began tracing the lines on his shirt instead.

**__**

You almost ruined a relationship that could be really good. She scolded herself. **_You always complained about guys moving too fast, and here you are pushing a guy past his limits. Shame on you!_**

Trowa hugged Dakota, and whispered, "Don't go so fast. I'm not used to it."

Dakota rested in his arms, still fingering his shirt. It was made of cotton, and was soft to her touch. She could smell the kind of detergent he used – it was fresh and springy. The scent delighted her nose, causing it to tingle with freshness. In the back of her mind, Dakota was still scolding herself. 

**__**

Great. Not only did you push him too far, he's probably never had a girlfriend before.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to –" Trowa silenced her with a soft brush of his lips against hers. It wasn't a kiss but it made her feel all warm and happy inside. She realized that he forgave her. 

A strange, but pleasing thought came to Trowa as he wiped a strand of her hair from her eyes. **_Man, she's beautiful. I can't believe I didn't notice before. I wonder if she'd mind if I…_**

Trowa leaned his face closer to hers. With a gentleness he had forgotten he possessed, he tilted her chin up so she was looking at him. In an uncertain way, he leaned ever closer, until his lips touched hers. This time, they didn't pull away, but stayed and kissed her. Just as the kiss was deepening, and his emotions were getting out of had, Trowa was interrupted by a formerly cold voice that was filled by a mock humor.

"Trowa. You're a real stud. I go to bed, and you're still single. I wake up, and you're kissing Dakota on the kitchen table."

Trowa was startled, and pulled away, turning to see who had spoken. It was Heero. He was wearing braced crutches, and was resting his aching body against the doorframe, trying to get comfortable. The former pilot was smirking, but Trowa could see the hidden pain in his eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt Trowa, but I didn't want you to get into hot water. I've chaperoned Duo before, and you were at getting to the place that he always loses control. I decided to speak before you did something you'd regret." The crippled boy explained, hobbling over to the table on his crutches.

Trowa rose to help him take off the metal supports that helped him use the crutches with his weakened arm muscles. Then he supported Heero as he eased himself onto one of the stools beside the bench. Sitting down beside his friend, he looked at him with a serious. He was about to make a statement, but Dakota beat him to it.

"Heero, I thought you were supposed to be in a wheelchair." She commented disapprovingly. 

Heero looked at her. "I wear my crutches in the mornings to exercise so I won't be lame when my bones have healed. I'm supposed to use them for at least fifteen minutes a day. I have to wear my supports, and I am, see?" He showed her the curled metal extensions that fit tightly around his arms. 

"You should still use your wheelchair." She scolded, getting up to answer the coffeepot's shrill scream. "Do you want coffee Heero?"

"Yes please." Came the affirmative from the tired boy resting on his arms at the table. 

"Trowa?" She asked, turning to look at her new boyfriend with a questioning look.

"Please and thank you." He replied. Turning back to Heero, he reprimanded, "I know the nurse said you could use crutches, but you're still hurt. You're going to get sick. The reason you're tired all the time is from over exerting yourself. You've got to take it easy."

It was true. Bandages wrapped around Heero's upper torso, around his shoulders, and back down both arms. Red was bleeding through in some places where he had worked too hard and ripped a healing scar. The wounds weren't totally healed, and fresh bandages had to be applied every day. 

On top of that, Heero found that he was more and more tired each day. He still took his vitamins, but he had a feeling it was time for a change in prescription. Throwing up every day drained his nutrient supply, and made him sicker instead of letting him heal. 

"No I won't. I've been using them for weeks and I'm not sick yet. As for being tired, the doctors said I'd sleep more." He shot back.

Trowa looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Then why does the toilet flush every day before you come out of your room? And why are you bugging me to get your vitamin prescription change unless you're not getting enough nutrients? You certainly eat enough. I know you're throwing up Heero, so you might as well stop trying to hide it. You've probably got dyspepsia!"

Heero scowled, giving Trowa a dirty look. **_I didn't realize that he knew! I don't want people to know…to know how much it hurts. He must not have told anyone, or else, I'd be in the hospital._**

"I don't throw up from that, because I don't have it."

"Then what DOES make you throw up?" Trowa demanded.

Heero was trapped. "I…my internal injuries aren't…I'm still hurt." He faltered, trying not to lie without giving away his current state. Trowa accepted the answer, deciding not to press the issue any more for the time being.

Dakota come over with their mugs of coffee and set them beside the two boys. Then she sat next to Trowa, sliding her arm around his waist. He looked down and smiled, putting his arm around her as well. 

Heero took a deep sip of coffee, letting the rejuvenating liquid put life back into his sore bones. Most of the nutrition he'd had in his body exited into the toilet via his stomach convulsions earlier. He relaxed, glad that the coffee was both relaxing him and arousing him at the same time. It also helped warm him. The temperature was cooler than normal, especially without a shirt.

Dakota put down her coffee to snuggle closer to Trowa's warm body. She was cold, even with her sweatshirt on. Shivers racked her body. Dakota looked over at Heero, staring with disbelief.

"Aren't you cold?"

Heero looked at her and nodded. "Yeah , but if I rip one of my wounds open while I'm wearing a shirt, then it gets blood all over it. I'm sick of doing my laundry and having to throw all of my shirts out because they're stained."

Trowa looked over at his shivering friend. "Oh, come over here and get warm Heero. You might as well. No one's up yet anyway." He held out his arm for the injured boy. 

The former pilot of 01 scooted over to him gratefully. He pressed himself against Trowa's side, soaking up warmth. Over time, his shivers gradually decreased, until he was silent. His chest rose and fell softly, indicating that he was asleep. 

Dakota hugged Trowa one last time before rising from her chair. She smiled when she saw Heero cuddled up against Trowa like a puppy. He looked so cute.

"You know what? Heero looks like a little kid when he's sleeping." She muttered softly.

"Yeah. I'm glad he can find some peace sleeping. He doesn't get much anywhere else."

"Mmh." Dakota agreed, taking one last look at Heero before closing the door gently. 

"Come on Dakota. We'd better go." Trowa said quietly.

She nodded, pulling on her jacket and stepping outside. Before she knew it, two strong arms were around her, large hands were covering her eyes.

"Guess who." A deep voice said.

Dakota pulled away from Trowa, started to see his appearance. Somehow Trowa had dragged up a black leather jacket and was at this moment slipping a pair of oval sunglasses over his jade eyes. She laughed slightly at his attire. 

"Why are you so dressy Trowa? You're only takin' a truck!" 

Trowa shook his head at her comment. Not today. Today we're going to work in style." He held up a set of keys that Dakota recognized. She had seen Heero playing with them earlier. 

"Oh, and wheel-chair boy's got a nicer car than you?"

Trowa shot her a look, keying in the access code of Heero's garage into the wall. With an affirming beep, the wall slid back to reveal the nicest car Dakota had ever seen. Its sleek **metal** exterior (none of this aluminum stuff) was designed for maximum speed. 

The shiny black paint glittered with flashy blue streaks. The mirrors were angled to allow a vision. Dakota stood in shock, allowing Trowa to sit her in the passengers seat while he threw the luggage in the back. 

The car was specially modified with advanced stereo systems-surround sounds, an mp3 player, a CD player and a tape player, as well as a radio and CB selection.

There was a TV and phone in the car as well, the phone capable of visual conversations via screen. But better than all of this, the interior had leather seating. That's right, pure, 100% leather seating! It was a dream car.

"Wow. Nice car." Dakota muttered.

"Yup." Trowa said, closing his door and turning the key in the ignition. "This thing's capable of 270 mph safely. What's even more amazing is that Heero built it himself. Pretty good for a kid in a wheel-chair huh?"

That kept Dakota quiet. She had never been so wrong in her life. Here she was, insulting the intelligence of a person who built this car from scratch! She was silent until they entered the circus grounds. 

Trowa parked the car with expertise, grabbing his and Dakota's equipment. He didn't open the door for her, he was afraid that he'd either let a comment fly about her behavior, or that she would get mad at him. Dakota opened the door herself, locking it before she slammed it shut.

**__**

He doesn't have to get so mad. It was only one comment for goodness sakes. She retorted, running to shorten the distance that had been put between them by Trowa's long strides.

The pair walked to the part of the circus where the trailers were kept. Trowa fumbled with the lock for a minute, then opened it. He set their stuff inside, and came back out, automatically locking the door on his way out.

Dakota hadn't gotten a good look at the place that was his second home, but it seemed spacious and well kept. Everything had its own place, what little things she had seen there. **_I wonder if his room is this neat…_** She wondered to herself. 

Trowa looked over at the black-haired girl, and started to walk to the kitchens. The cook, Kila, would throw a fit if they skipped breakfast, and he was determined not to displease her. **_Why am I ignoring Dakota? She only said one thing. She must think I'm horrible. _**Sub-consciously, he waited for her. When she was close, he reached out and took her hand in his. It wasn't much of a gesture, but it asked forgiveness, and said that he was no longer angry.

As they approached the kitchen, Trowa noticed a newcomer. **_He must be the newcomer that Cathy was so excited about yesterday. According to her, he can really cook. Maybe I should invite the gang over for lunch if he's any good._**

He was a strange boy, wearing ragged jeans with holes beginning to wear in the knees. The sleeveless blue shirt was dirty and torn, contrasting sharply with the clean white cook's apron he was wearing. They must have been his only clothes, other wise Kila wouldn't let him wear them.

The strangest thing wasn't his clothes. Deep pools of red fire gazed at Trowa, almost daring his to come over and order something. No, not a dare. It was more of a challenge. The gesture came to Trowa from behind a few strands of turquoise hair. Most of the latter was brushed to the side, bangs under the headband holding it in place were sticking up. His hair must have been held up with a lot of hair-spray, as the hairdo was almost able to rival Trowa's own.

He smiled, showing his large teeth and asked, "Can I help you?"

Dakota knew it was mean, but she couldn't restrain from thinking, **_What a freak._** The boy's eyes lost some of their shimmer, as if he could hear what she had just thought. It was freaky.

"You guys hungry? I'll make ya somethin." He offered.

The tall boy studied him with a critical look, as if he couldn't believe this kid could actually cook after seeing him up close. He ran his fingers through the long bangs in front of his eye and let it fall back into place. The boy wouldn't know, but it was a sign of nervousness, as well as indecision. 

"I'll have bacon and eggs." He ordered. He always ordered that. Kila's eggs were light and fluffy, the bacon done perfectly. Of course, he couldn't expect this kid's cooking to be quite as good, but that was perfectly alright. 

The turquoise-haired boy sighed, folding his arms and leaning on the table. Now it was his time to sigh. This one was not a sigh of indecision, but of boredom.

"You people are all boring. You never want to try anything good. Toast and orange juice. Bacon and eggs. A ham sandwich with hash browns. Come on! Be interesting!" He complained, tossing his hair out of the way. 

"And what would you suggest turquoise-boy?" Dakota demanded.

"Nice girlfriend you have there." He laughed, looking at Trowa. The boy turned red from the observation and replied quietly.

"She's not my - ow!" He yelped, falling silent. Carefully he rubbed his sore stomach where Dakota's elbow had contacted with the vulnerable flesh.

"I would recommend my Omelet Special. Its got spices in it that are just as hot and tantalizing as you are." He said.

"Watch it kid." Dakota warned, though she was quite flattered at the comment. Out of the corner of the eye, she watched Trowa's face grow dark and decided to change the subject. "Sure, I'll try anything."

"Alright! You've got taste! " He grinned, handing them a number. "Your meal will be ready in about fifteen minutes. You can pay me then. If I'm not around for some reason, ask for Roku." 

Dakota laughed as she walked with Trowa over to their table. "What a name! Roku! Hehe. Sounds Japanese."

"It is." Trowa said quietly, sliding his arm around her for the who knows how manyth time that morning. "He's Japanese too, or at least, he's built like Heero. I know that's not the same thing, but that's the best I can do for heritage on that eye-level."

"Not bad hun." **_Whoa. I just called Trowa 'hun.' That's scary._**

It wasn't long before their food was ready. Trowa was just about to go and yell for that crazy kid to hurry up, when he appeared. There was a platter in each hand, both of them full to overflowing with warm, tantalizing food. He set the trays in front of them, laying out the appropriate silverware. 

"There ya go! Hope you enjoy your meal!" He grinned.

"Roku, do you want to eat with us?" Dakota invited. 

"Huh? Sure! I'll go get my breakfast!" A smile, a real, genuine smile, not one of the fake grins he wore for the customers appeared on his face as he ran off.

"Why did you invite him?" Trowa asked. 

Dakota looked at him disapprovingly. "He seemed lonely. And besides, he reminded me of my brothers." (See the prequel to Coming Home by Megan Blackstone.)

"Oh."

Soon the boy reappeared at their table, holding a can of Banana Milkshake flavored nutrient drink. He sat down, popping the seal and taking a drink. Dakota didn't know how he could stand that stuff. It tasted horrible, but was good for those who didn't have time to eat or had digestion problems.

Now that he was here, she smiled and bit into the omelet. It was delicious. Special, hot spices teased her mouth and excited the taste buds. Small pieces of ham and bacon were cooked inside the omelet, enhancing the flavor even more. It was probably the best meal that she had ever eaten. So good that it seemed to disappear from her plate.

"Wow, that was really good." She commented. Trowa nodded his agreement, having cleaned his plate moments earlier. 

"Thanks." Roku replied, finishing off the last few drops of the drink. **_Some people think this tastes really disgusting, but I think it's great. It helps a lot, since I wouldn't be able to eat much without it. I wonder what people used to do before these were invented…_**

He was interrupted by a call from Kila. "Roku! Get back to work, and stop pestering the customers!"

"Yes ma'am." He agreed, getting up. Thankfully he took the large tip that was offered to him before running off to meet Kila's need.

"He's a nice kid. Good cook." Trowa observed.

"Yeah. I used to think he was a freak, but he's not really that bad." Dakota decided. "Well, come on. We've got lots of work to do." She reminded him. Slipping her hand into his, the two walked off toward the circus tent, prepared for another busy day.

Ah…little more romance than usual, huh? I warned ya. Review, review people! That's why this story is coming out so quickly!

Jet


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Everything went fine for the next few weeks. Trowa and Dakota began to get closer, as did some of the other couples. But then, something went wrong…

"Trowa, TROWA!" A girl screamed, running down the hallway. Her eyes were panicked, and there were tears streaming down her face. 

Trowa was sound asleep in his bed. He had been working late to perfect a certain routine, and it had taken a great toll on his body. The tall boy slept the hours away, oblivious to the sounds around him. 

Suddenly, without warning, his eyes snapped awake. Screams…he had heard screams. That was strange. Then the sound came again. "TROWA!!!"

With a snap he was awake and thinking. What could have happened? Trowa grabbed a pair of pants and pulled them on just as Dakota's form burst through the door. 

"Trowa…Ralara had me come get you. Heero's got a fever…we think he's slipped into unconsciousness!" 

"Awww…" Trowa's eyes widened in horror. He shot off down the hallway, running as fast as he could down the stairs without killing himself. **_Oh man…what happened? I bet it's his lungs again! Oh no, oh no!_**

All four girls were crowded around Heero's bed, Ralara desperately trying to get Heero to breathe. J'Ator and Sky held quickly-melting icepacks on his forehead. Ice, not knowing what to do, was silently praying in a corner like her half-brother had taught her to.

Trowa rushed to his friend's bedside. He knelt on the plush one-inch blue carpet and gripped one of Heero's icy hands tightly. Heero was so cold…what if he was dead already? **_No. He's not dead. I can feel his pulse. It's very weak, but it is really there._**

"Ice!" He barked, interrupting the girl in the middle of one of her sentences. "Go to the phone and call this number." Trowa handed her a blue slip of paper with a 1-800 number on it. 

The poor cheerleader didn't know what to do. She had never called for Heero before, and didn't know what she was supposed to do. "But….what do I say?" She asked, confused.

"Just tell them Heero's having trouble breathing again!" He commanded, his tone telling her that there was no time to waste. 

Only when Ice had the number and he heard her talking to the ambulance crew did he let out the breath that he hadn't even known he'd been holding. He sat back on his haunches, stroking Heero's hand and whispering to himself. **_He's gonna be okay. He's gonna be okay! He's got to! What if it's all my fault? Maybe I should have told the others, even if he didn't want me to. Oh man…._**

Ralara sighed with relief. She had finally managed to get Heero to breathe again. His short, quick gasps wouldn't be considered _healthy_ breathing, but at least he was able to do so on his own. Now all she could do was wait. 

Seconds later, the sound of sirens echoed throughout the street as the ambulance drove to the gate. Just then did Trowa remember that it was locked. Panicked, he jumped up and ran outside, leaving all the doors open in his flight. 

He reached the gate just as the ambulance crew where hustling up to the door. The men nodded at him as they passed. One stopped to inquire where the victim was, and Trowa told him breathlessly,

"Ground floor, just inside by the door." He followed after them, leaving the gate open wide for clear passage. 

Trowa held all five sobbing girls, trying had to keep the tears out of his own eyes. They watched as the ambulance crew took Heero out to race him to the hospital. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, and he was moaning in-between coughs. Trowa knew that this state of semi-consciousness was dangerous because they couldn't operate, and wouldn't dare put him under for fear of inducing a coma. **_All we can do is hope he either snaps out of it, or goes deep enough to operate. I hate feeling helpless…._**

By the time the ambulance had gone back to the hospital, sirens ablaze, the whole apartment building was awake. Three very confused boys in their pajamas were suddenly overwhelmed with a bundle of nerve-wrecked, sobbing girl. Each of them tried to do their best to comfort the girls, though they didn't really know what they were comforting them about. 

When the ladies had finally stopped crying, heated questions took its place. "Where's Heero?"

"What happened?"

"What's going on?" Came the three questions at once.

"Heero couldn't breathe. Dakota woke me up, and we called an ambulance. They took him to the hospital. I…we'd better get over there." Trowa said quietly, averting his eyes so the other boys couldn't see his tears. 

Duo looked up at Trowa, who held both Dakota and Ralara tightly to his chest. His face softened, the demand draining out, respect in it's place. **_He really doesn't know what to do either. He's being forced to open up to two girls, one scared, the other terrified with grief. Man, I don't know if I could do that. Just calming Sky down was hard enough. I'm really getting attached to her. _**The braided one thought, smiling down at the girl in soft blue flannel pajama's. He hugged her closer, lightly kissing her forehead.

Wu Fei frowned at the silent teenagers around him. Obviously someone would have to take charge of this situation. Someone manly, someone capable of making decisions, someone who could handle emotion of any kind…

"Maxwell…why don't you drive." He sighed. **_I guess even I'm not perfect. _**He sighed to himself. 

__

45 minutes later at the hospital…

Waiting was terrible. Quatre preferred _anything_ to waiting. Even if it was doing chores he normally wouldn't think of touching, he needed to do something to break the spell of silence. His training as a Winner heir had helped to deal with some of the impatience, but he wasn't perfect. **_Makes me wonder how Duo, the most hyper-active of us all, isn't dead of boredom yet. _**Quatre's pondering was answered when he looked over at Duo.

The braided ex-pilot was resting, his eyes closed. Sky High was inside his strong arms, cuddled up against his chest. She was smiling. 

Quatre smiled to himself. **_Figures. Duo's never bored when he has a girl with him. I would never act like that - be totally obsessed with a girl. _**Sub-consciously, he squeezed the warm hand that he gripped in his own. He never saw the sparkling look that J'Ator shot him. 

Ice Berk shivered. It was cold here in the waiting room. She wished someone was here so she could talk. That Chinese boy, Wu Fei, was cute, but he didn't seem to like talking very much. Ice wondered how long Ralara and Trowa would be in the hospital room. She shivered again. 

Ice was startled when she felt a thick black leather jacket being put around her shoulders. She looked up into the face of Wu Fei. It had transformed from that hard mask of pride he always wore into a face full of concern and protectiveness. Slipping her arms into the sleeves, she smiled.

"Better?" He asked. **_I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you. Women should be protected, because they are weaker. Sometimes though, _** he looked at Heero's sleeping form through the glass, **_the man is the one who is weak._**

Wu Fei's coat was very warm, but Ice still felt like something was missing. With a start, she realized what it was. Her half-brother's arms. **_I wish Brett was here. I need someone to hold me._**

As if the Chinese ex-pilot could sense her thoughts, she felt his strong arms wrap around her body. They felt right, as if they belonged there. She leaned back, and buried her face in his blue tanktop. He smelled of cologne, a strong but pleasing kind. He also smelled of strength. **_Strength. That would be hard to explain if someone ever asked what he smells like. But…he does._**

Two tears slipped down Wu Fei's face, carefully hidden from the girl in his arms. He really liked Ice, but having a girl in his arms brought back a painful memory. Wu Fei shut his eyes and tried to block the old pain. **_Nataku…_** No matter how hard he tried…he was soon back in the past.

__

-Flashback-

"Merian, you will never learn!" Wu Fei shouted angrily at his wife.

She glared back at him with equal venom. "No Wu Fei, it is YOU who will never learn. Nataku is with me, and I will be the ruler of the clan. Women don't need men to be strong." His 14-year-old wife argued.

"Be quiet woman!" Wu Fei snarled, slapping her across the face as he had done many times before.

"No! I won't put up with this anymore!" The girl attempted to defend herself, but Wu Fei's size and strength won out in the end. He hit her again and again, harder with each blow. When he was finished, she was bleeding heavily, and sobbing.

"Get one thing into your head woman. I am a warrior, I am a man and I am superior." He told her before leaving his wife to cry alone. 

-End of Flashback-

More tears ran down Wu Fei's face. Not long after one of his usual beatings of Merian, she went to battle to save their colony. She died in that battle, and there was nothing that Wu Fei could do to save her. It had made him realize that even though he was strong, he could not always be in control. 

Clearing the tears from his eyes, he looked at Heero's hospital bed once more. The boy had surely slipped into a coma by now. **_Heero. You have to pull through. For Ralara, for Duo, for all of us. I don't want to lose someone again._**

Dis: No Gundam Wing owner here!

Comments: Hey! Another chapter! I know it's not very long, but I'm setting up for the very middle 'meat' so to speak of my fic. Just think, in 7 or so more chapters, I'll be done! Thank you to anyone who's reviewed. I have gotten around 60 or 70 reviews in the 2 or 3 months that my story has been up and it has really helped! 

Review, review, review!

Jet


	8. Chapter 8

I, Jet would like to dedicate this chapter to three people who have been encouraging me through e-mail for a long time

I, Jet would like to dedicate this chapter to three people who have been encouraging me through e-mail for a long time. Sunnyx, Mami-Sama, and Kometto Yuy!

Chapter 8

Heero's breaths came short and ragged, thought they were evening out from the quick gasps he had been uttering the night before. Ralara looked at the boy, noting his very white face. He looked dead already, and they weren't even going to attempt surgery until that afternoon.

The pretty girl sighed, slipping out of Trowa grasp without waking him. He had watched over his girlfriend and her all night, and deserved a good rest. The boy was stretched out on a couch that they had brought in, Dakota pulled tightly to him, also sleeping.

Ralara stole a glance through the stained glass window and smiled sadly. Each one of her new friends had 'selected' a boyfriend. Wu Fei was cradling Ice in his arms, J'Amier was asleep not far from Quatre, and she was holding Quatre's hand like there was no tomorrow. Even Sky was with a boy - she was practically connected to Duo now. (Don't any of you DARE to take that in a bad way!)

She was deeply saddened that she was the last out of the five to be asked to go out, or shown that she was loved. It was sad that the only boy left to love her was dying. That fact alone made her want to cry for a long time.

Being very quiet so as to not wake the others, Ralara walked over to Heero's bed. She knelt down by his bed and reached for his warm body. The girl took his hand in hers. It was a large hand, well worn and callused, even though he was only about 17 years of age. 

Heero's hands were almost twice as big as hers. He had a strong grip; even in the state of unconsciousness the pressure was firm. There was one strange thing about his hands though-they were cold. Not a normal temperature, but icy, like he was dead already.

Ralara put her other hand to his forehead. That was hot-burning in fact. She didn't know what his temp. was, but it was high. 

"Heero, wake up. Please wake up." She said softly, leaning over and kissing his forehead. Where she kissed it seemed to cool - maybe he just needed some love. The girl sighed, slowly falling asleep on Heero's chest.

Heero's eyes fluttered open, feeling like blocks of cement over his eyes. You know that sick feeling you get when you've got a high fever? He had it. His lungs felt like there was s constricting band around them choking off his air supply. It was strange. He could breathe, yet he felt the desire to choke and cough and get rid of that burning sensation in his throat.

It was unbearable. He coughed, a long hacking cough that started at least to clear his lungs of the bloody mucus that had developed in their depths. Only after he had finished did he realize that there was something else on him. A girl; Ralara to be exact. She seemed to have fallen asleep on him. 

The 17-year-old blushed, and wiggled, trying to get out from underneath her weight. Ralara wasn't overly heavy or anything, but at this point, any weight on his chest made him feel nauseous and sick and just plain awful. Heero started to panic when she didn't wake up. He wiggled more.

Finally, Ralara's eyes fluttered open. She looked around bewilderedly for awhile, then looked up into Heero's eyes. The girl started when she saw the pain in them. Thinking quickly, she was a smart girl, she lifted herself off him.

"Thank you." He said quietly. She hushed him.

"You need to rest. I'm going to get the others so they can talk to you and then they'll need to perform surgery." Ralara told him gently. 

Normally the ex-pilot would have fought back, spoken back, protested, something. But he was too tired. Besides, having been confined to a wheelchair for six weeks had done something to his attitude. So instead, he nodded and leaned back on his pillows. 

Sheer exhaustion took him over and he sighed, weary. It didn't take long before the boy was asleep again. He wasn't out again like he had been, just asleep. 

It was then that the nurse came in. He awoke the minute that she stood by his bed - reflex he had picked up from the war. He looked up at the nurse and sighed. He tried to smile for her, but all he could do was turn away and cough. 

"Shh…you need rest Mr. Yuy. Your body is already recovering from one surgery, now it needs to prepare for another."

He laid back obediently, realizing that she knew what she was talking about. He felt like crap, and they hadn't even performed the surgery yet. Sitting up a bit, he asked, "Do you know when the surgery will be?"

"Mr. Winner is filing out the application forms right now. Surgery will take place in an hour." She told him. "Until then, you need to get some rest."

The nurse, her tag named her Amy, helped Heero adjust the bed and tucked him in. she also rubbed an anesthetic into his hand where the IV would go later. It was a special therapeutic kind that had to be put in prior to surgery. 

-1 hour later -

It seemed that he had just gotten to sleep when Amy nudged his shoulder. Heero woke, looking around the room. All nine of his friends, old and new, were there. The ones he was closest to, Duo and Ralara, were at his bedside, each holding one of his hands. 

Amy came over and hooked in his IV. He didn't even feel it because of the anesthetic from before. She took a cotton ball and put some disinfectant on it. After swiping it across his vein, she took out a needle that was filled with a clear liquid and with one fluid motion, stuck it in his arm.

"Mr. Yuy, I'd like you to count backwards from one hundred for me." She directed.

"100…99…98…97…96…95…94…93…ninety….two…ninety…one….."

As soon as she was sure the boy was asleep, Amy directed, "You all need to go out into the waiting room. There are too many of you here, and you will only be in the way. Turning back to Heero, she acknowledged the man who would be operating. "Dr. J. I am at your assistance."

A familiar mad scientist who also happened to be able to operate winked at her through thick glasses. "How nice."

-Waiting room-

Ralara sat by herself in the corner. She had refused each offer her friends had made to sit with them. Right now, she just felt like being alone. She wanted to think.

Even tough Ralara had only met Heero a few weeks ago, she was attached. He was very nice, even though sometimes he seemed so cold. By taking to his friends, the other four boys he lived with, she had learned that before his accident, he had always been cold ad distant. Somehow his knock on the head had changed that.

Ralara's family had died when she was very young. Even now after ten years, she till remembered what had happened…

__

-Flashback-

There is a house on a pleasant little street in a small town. If you looked around, you would see many more small houses, all with threes in the yard and children out playing in them. If you looked up, you would see a huge, close moon, and a small earth, as was typical of the colonies.

In this house is a mother of seven, an apron around her middle at a stove, and two little ones at her side. The other children are running around outside.

"Brock! Brock!" She calls turning from the stove. A handsome boy about the age of 16, comes running to the door. "Yes mother?"

"Go find Ralara. I haven't seen her for awhile, and I've heard that soldiers might be in the area. I'm worried about her."

"Don't worry mama. I'll find her." He assured, running off.

-In the local park-

"Ralara! Ralara? Ralara!" The boy grinned when he spotted his sister swinging on one of the swings. Brock walked over and sat down on a swing next to his sister. "Hey Munchkin. How's it going?" He asked, grinning. When she didn't reply, his smile faded.

"Why'd you come here Munchkin? You know there are soldiers around, and mom was worried. I was worried too."

"I just wanted to be alone for a little while. Pray for dad and stuff." The small girl said.

"Oh. I understand." He said quietly, drawing his 7-year-old sister into his arms. " I pray for him too." Their father had been drafted a year ago, and they'd had no word from him for three weeks. 

"I miss him Brock." She whispered.

"Me too." He smiled sadly. They sat far awhile, just holding each other. An explosion broke their peaceful reverie. 

"Wha?!" Brock jumped to his feet pulling Ralara onto his back.

"MOMMY!" Ralara cried, seeing explosions in the direction of their home.

Brock ran as fast as he could. He reached home faster then ever before, but it had not been fast enough. All that was left of their home - their whole neighborhood, was a big hole in the ground.

Brock slid down to his knees, looking around, then up to the sky. He glared at the last few departing Fed mobile suits. "How could they do this? We didn't do anything to them!" He demanded.

"Brock." Ralara whispered from his back. "Why did they all die? Why?"

-End of Flashback-

Tears were running down Ralara's face and she was shaking. She was startled when she felt two strong arms wrap around her. It was Duo, coming to comfort her.

"What's wrong Ralara?" He asked.

"I...already lost my family **sob** I don't want to lost Heero too!" And she began to sob again. 

Duo pulled her close, letting her take out her grief on his black cotton shirt. In his opinion, she was shedding the tears that were locked behind his own protective mask.

"Shh…" He soothed, stroking her. "It'll be alright. Everything will be alright."

Ehh….Sorry this took so long! Hope you enjoyed it!


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys

Hey guys. Took a long time to get this chapter out. Sorry. Anyway, I tried to answer your questions from the reviews in here. If you're still confused, mail me at [dartstipe@yahoo.com][1]

Jet

Chapter 9

He was going to die. That's how much it hurt. Every bone in his body, his nerve endings, his _fingernails_ hurt! Everything hurt. He just wanted to break down and cry, but he couldn't. The Perfect Soldier wouldn't let him.

**__**

Just let me cry. I just want to cry. Just once. It'll help me. No. Crying is weakness. Weakness is death.** _Don't you get it?! I'm dying ALREADY! _**Your body is perfectly fine.** _Are you nuts?! I'm in pain! P-A-I-N_**! Pain is irrelevant.** _Shut up Heero. Just because you don't suffer from pain doesn't mean I don't. _**I don't care what you feel boy._You're not important any more._** _I am too important! You're the one who's not important! The war is over Heero. I don't need you anymore. I wish someone would hit me on the head again so I'd forget you. _**

You'll never forget me Aiden. Your memories are too painful to forget. I'll always be with you. I'll be waiting….

Heero began to shake, even though that hurt. First his shoulders shook, then his whole body. He wrapped himself in the soft comforter of his bed and grabbed onto the pillows. Tears of pain and agony began to pour out of his eyes. With the help of his torn body and loads of medicine, Aiden had won at last. 

"Heero? Are you alright?" Jet asked through his barely opened door.

"GO AWAY!" The perfect soldier shrieked, trying to get a hold of his body, but it wouldn't listen_. I can't let her see me like this! No, no, no! Weakness is death, that's what I was taught! No!_ He was losing control, had been ever since his stupid injury.

Aiden sobbed. He couldn't stop himself. He hurt so much, and he knew he was dying. KNEW it, as a fact. Of course, the fact that one is on 56 med. pills, 13 vitamins, and 29 different painkillers might lead to that realization. 

"Heero!" Before he could say anything, Ralara was there, cradling him in her arms. She let him cry out his pain on her shoulders, all the while soothing him like she would a frightened child.

When his crying was done, he looked up and whispered, "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"No." She reassured, giving him a small kiss. It took a moment before they realized what she had done. Color flushed her cheeks, and she hurried out. 

"Wait, Ralara…" Heero called, but she was gone. **_Man. That was the perfect opportunity to tell her too. _**You don't need too. **That's what you think.**

Heero knew he needed to get up. Today Trowa's circus troop was performing, and the act Trowa and Dakota had worked out would be in it. He lifted himself up and over to his wheelchair with the bars beside his bed. Once he was in his wheelchair, he had no problem wheeling across the room to his crutches.

**__**

I wish I could wear these. It'd be a lot easier…I'll help you. **You will? **Yes. **Why? **Don't ask questions.Aiden took his crutches and stood up, wincing at the pain. The Perfect Soldier hadn't lied though, it hurt a lot less then it should have. It took him a minute to get the straps on his arms right, and then he was off.

He took the elevator. Even with the soldier's help, Aiden didn't dare go down those stairs. * 'Ding.' He had arrived at the family floor, the ground floor. Swinging in he announced his presence softly. 

"Hi Quatre."

Quatre yelped, jumping about six feet in the air. The startled Arabian turned around, and was even more surprised to see Heero there. Especially in crutches.

"Where is your wheelchair?" He asked incredulously.

"Upstairs. It'd be useless at the circus." He said quietly. The blonde looked ready to argue, but gave in. He knew Heero was right.

"I'll get your medicine." Quatre told him. He had been elected to take care of Heero's medicine because he had the best memory. Besides, growing up with twenty-nine sisters meant that there had been lots of medicine at their house.

While Quatre was rounding up the medicine, Heero poured himself some water. He made sure he got plenty, since there were plenty of pills to swallow. Then he sat down at their floating bar.

Quatre came over in a few minutes with Heero's pills in separate glasses. One held the fifty-six medicine pills, another had the thirteen painkillers that were necessary to keep him conscious, and the last held the twenty-nine vitamins that replace all the nutrients he lost during the day. Heero swallowed each one with a large swig of water.

"Yuck. Never swallow eighty-six pills Quatre. It sucks." Heero said quietly, making himself shudder.

"I don't plan on it. Gundam training was enough for me. I never want to see medicine again." The boy said. For a moment, Quatre's turquoise eyes became haunted. Soon they cleared however, and Quatre was normal again.

While in training, the pilots had been injected with anything from morphine to stryctnide. The whole process had been terribly painful, even for Heero. Each of them wondered if the others had gone through the same torture, but were too ashamed to ask.

"Morning Quatre, morning Heero!" Ice Berk greeted cheerfully from the stairs. The girls had moved camp to the quest floor when they had been asked out. Ralara and Dakota were orphans, so they appreciated the housing. J'Amier had been living alone anyway, at age 19 she was on her own. Ice and Sky lived with other family members who always were trying to push them out anyway. Moving was not a problem for any of them. 

"Good morning Ice. May I offer you some tea?" 

"Hello."

Ice laughed. There certainly was a large gap between Heero and Quatre's manners. She had heard that Heero was a hundred times better then he had been. How they even communicated before she didn't know. **_Maybe they didn't communicate…an interesting thought._**

"Sure Quatre. I'd love some. Is anyone else up yet? She asked, sitting on a stool across from Heero. 

"No." Quatre answered simply, getting up to answer the call of the teapot. "Unless you count Trowa and Dakota, but they had to be there really early anyway. " He brought over three steaming cups with holders on the teacup tray Trowa had given him for his 17th birthday. 

Heero looked at Quatre with raised brows, but took the cup offered to him. **_How'd he know what I needed? Then again, he's probably had a lot of practice with sickness. _**The boy closed his aged eyes and took a sip, letting the warmth calm him churning stomach. His medicine was very powerful, it made him terribly sick to the stomach. 

"Hey Quatre, is Heero sleepin?" A loud and obnoxious voice asked. Duo. Figures someone like him would have to ruin his private moments.

"Shh Duo! Be quiet. The boy never gets a quiet moment, especially with you around. Let him have some peace."

That was Ralara. Always worrying, always caring. She had taken it upon herself to see him through whatever was wrong with him. She had proven that this morning.

"Sorry. Say Ralara, have you kissed him yet?" He asked coyly. 

"No." Heero didn't open his eyes, but he heard Ralara's confusion in her voice. "Why would I do that?"

"I've caught you staring at him. You just sit there when he's asleep and watch him. No distractions or-" Duo's speech was cut short when he found his mouth suddenly full.

When Sky finally stopped, duo was wide-eyed and red. He just kind of stood there in shock. "Wa…What was that for?"

Sky smiled secretly, looking, as Duo phrased, 'extremely hot.' "I was distracting you."

"Oh." Duo paused, then grinned wickedly. Relaxing against the sink and the cupboards below it, the boy always ready for action decided to play up the scene. "Wanna distract me some more?" he invited, opening him mouth slightly.

Sky was more then happy to comply. The kissed for several minutes, making the others wonder how long they could hold their breath. The couple's activities began to get a bit more heated with Sky working her way down Duo's neck. J'Amier was the one who broke up the scene, shouting;

"Oui! There are other people here you know!" 

The braided one turned red again, pushing Sky away from him gently. He was gasping. Perhaps they had waited too long to stop the two.

"Duo, I think you should go take a cold shower. A very cold one. Sky, you probably should too." It was Wu Fei, his eyes cold. A secret pain was there too, hidden behind his cold mask. The Chinese man did not seem pleased with the public display of affection.

"Hehe. D'you see all of that?" He asked. Wu Fei's glare was answer enough. Not daring to sneak a peek at the rest of the pilots, especially Heero, Duo slunk out. Sky followed.

Heero had opened him eyes by now. They were hard jewels, angry and ashamed that Duo would dare do that in front of them. Sky didn't get a break from the harsh critic either; she was at least as guilty, if not more, as she tempted him. He scowled. **_Maybe you should move to Duo's head Heero. _**Nah. I enjoy your company Aiden. Besides, that man has more emotions then **I** can control. ***snicker* I didn't know it was possible to control you. **Shut up.

A thought came to mind. "Hey, you two! Separate floors!" He hollered. 

"Yes Heero." The two sighed, voices faint by now. 

After the couple left, there was silence in the room. Everyone was either looking at someone else or the floor. Some were studying the ceiling, and Heero was buried in his arms. How do you continue after something like that?

Luckily, Quatre came to the rescue. "Tea anyone?"

__

Hours later, at the noon circus show…

"Hey! There's Trowa! Hi Trowa!" Duo yelled from their VIP seats. ** He was watching the procession closely with one arm around Sky, the other full of cotton candy and other assorted food.

Trowa acknowledged Duo's shouts with a nod in the man's direction. Even this amount of attention was enough to get Duo whooping. "He nodded at me! He heard me! Dude, this is so cool!" The boy freaked.

"For the love of Nataku Maxwell, calm yourself!" Wu Fei exclaimed. He needn't have said anything, Sky had just decked him for making catcalls at the parading girls.

"Why do you say that?" Ice asked.

"Wu Fei wiped his face of all emotion or knowledge. "Say what?"

"For the love of Nataku. Who's Nataku? Why do you love her?" Ice asked, not knowing she had touched a very private and painful topic.

The Chinese boy reacted the way any man who was still grieving for his secret and dead wife would. He lashed out on the girl who probably cared most about him. "Stay out of it woman. But while there was anger in his voice, there was pain in his eyes.

"Alright." Ice stayed quiet for the rest of the circus, leaving Wu Fei in a tangle of his own thoughts.

Meanwhile, Quatre and J'Amier were having a great time, perhaps as good of a time as Duo and his date. As usual, Quatre was making small talk between acts, commenting on the size of he tent or types of animals here. Sometimes the conversation would switch to J'Amier or himself, and they learned tings their friends didn't even know, such as Quatre's first love or J'Amier's ability to ride elephants.

The two were definitely a perfect pair. By the time fifteen minutes had gone by, Quatre had taken J'Amier's hand and she had leaned up against him chest.

"I'm glad we came Quatre" **_He smells so good. Not just like the cologne he wears, but just a scent. Maybe it's his laundry soap. Or maybe…it's just him. I dunno. Like vanilla…so good._**

"Me too." **_I missed having a girlfriend. So very much, and I didn't even know it._** "Look J'Amier, Catheringe's throwing knives."

It was true. Trowa's part in the circus had come at last. The crowd oohed and awwed and held their breath as knives buried into the wood centimeters from Trowa's body. Catherine had greet skill, there was no doubt in that.

She threw her last knife and bowed. Trowa followed suit and the crowd cheered harder. Trowa then left the ring. The ringmaster waited a moment for the clapping to die down, and made an announcement.

"Now, to show off our Catherine's great skill, we will pick one of the young people in the chairs to come up for us." The crowd cheered.

Catherine sauntered out of the ring with the spotlight following and walked around the VIP chairs. "Who wants to come up?" Duo, who seemed the perfect volunteer, stayed quiet.

"I will." Heero startled them all.

"But Heero…you can't!" Ralara protested.

"I'll be fine." With that, he heaved himself up onto his crutches and swung his way back to the ring with Catherine.

"And we have our volunteer!" The crowd, of course, cheered again.

Catherine helped him stand in position. He looked right at her, determined to be as strong as Trowa. **_Remember this? _**I remember. **We can do it right? No chickening out?** Aiden asked himself. Of course, the soldier replied, **_None._** Heero locked his eyes on Catherine.

The knives whizzed by, reminding him of his past. One throw pinned his shirt to the wood, but none hit him. At the end of the act, Catherine retrieved her knives, and bowed. Heero followed suit. There was thunderous applause, especially from a girl with auburn colored hair in the VIP chairs.

* For those of you who are confused, Heero has a split personality. The Perfect Soldier is the 'Heero' part of him, the boy is Aiden, who he was before training. Aiden is the one in control now, and he has to deal with the pain of their injury. That's why Heero's hurting so much. Got it?

** You know, those seats that the circus people sit in real close while you're stuck on bleacher and feeling very much like a canned sardine? Those VIP seats.

   [1]: mailto:dartstipe@yahoo.com



	10. Chapter 10

Finally! Another chapter! Read on! (Same disclaimers apply…yada…yada…..review!)

Chapter 10

The circus had run its course right up to intermission. During that time, the extra hands had set up glass panels around the entire ring so that you could see in, but whatever act was going to be in there wouldn't be going out into the crowd. 

Inside the ring were several rows of low hurdlers, starting by the entrance panel, and set up in an 'S' form. Then there were five or six high hurdlers near the crowd, located by the back door where the artist would leave the ring. In between was a high pole with a diving board on it. A rope ladder hung to the ground. It was a very odd setup altogether, and it put the audience on edge.

Duo leaned over and whispered to the rest of the group, "What's next? What act is that?" They shushed him, as the ringmaster had just walked out, on the crowd side of the glass.

"And now, the moment you've been waiting for…our main attraction, our master gymnast Trowa Barton and the trained tiger Duchess!" The announcer shouted, with even more emphasis then usual. 

The audience cheered, especially a group of couples in the VIP Chairs. All were expectant of the act, as it was well publicized. The entrance door was opened by Dakota; clad in a leotard with a short skirt around it, she looked beautiful. Her hair was done up in a bun; curls hung around it. Trowa walked out of the curtains bare chested and clad in light blue gymnastics pants. There was also a strip of athletic tape around his feet for support. Dakota winked at Trowa for luck, and shut the door behind him. 

He did a double back flip to the middle of the ring and took a bow. While the audience was busy clapping, no one noticed the tiger that was walking slowly to the door. They jumped when the tiger pounced, landing just behind Trowa. 

While the people watching were not prepared for this, the man in the ring was. He sprung and did back flips over all the little hurdles, the tiger close behind in a full lope. Trowa reached the rope ladder before the beast, grabbing in and swinging himself up and around it to stand backwards at the top, waiting. 

Duchess roared when she realized she could not reach the man. Snarling, all of the fur on her long neck stood up in anger. By chance, or well planned acting, her large paw just happened to step on a concealed lever, switching it to active.

Up out of the basement sprung a large set of spiral stairs, leading up to the diving platform that Trowa was standing on, tensed and waiting. By this time, the act was in far enough so that he could not focus on the audience. The tiger was supposed to attack if she could, so if he messed anything up from here on, he could be in real danger.

Seeing the stairs, the tiger roared again, clawing her way up them. Her claws dug easily into the plywood, and only once did the boards threaten to break. At the top, she stopped her mad dash. Now she crept ever so slowly towards her target, knowing he could not safely step off the end of the long diving board.

Trowa watched the tigress with a cool eye. He began to slowly back up as she approached him. With his feet half-off the board, he began to sway up and down, pretending to be losing his balance. Meanwhile the crowd gasped as the tiger crept ever closer.

A black piece marked the place that Duchess would cross before Trowa leapt. 

Muscles tensed, she was ready to spring.

His eyes were riveted to the tape, and the tiger perched so near it. 

A loud growl met the air as the tiger touched the black tape, stretching her muscles and springing at him. At the same time, he used the animal's momentum to spring himself high into the air and into a series of animated twists to the ground.

Trowa reached the ground a second after the tiger, and cursed softly to himself. She was already running towards him, having landed farther away from the board then he did. Because of this, he didn't have time to pause before leaping away in quick back handsprings. 

More hurdlers awaited him ahead, and he picked up speed, pushing off harder and getting more height to get off and over the hurdlers. The tiger ran alongside, swatting at him if he veered too close to her.

Nearing the end of the act now, and facing the most difficult part yet, he prayed to the God that Ralara believed in that he would be able to do his best. Next were the six foot double hurdlers. 

Duchess closed in, jumping through the high hurdlers after him. The tiger saw the end as well, and couldn't wait for the snack that Dakota had waiting behind the steel exit door that was beginning to open. However, she also knew that if Trowa missed his jump, she was trained to attack, so the audience would be in even more suspense to see if he could escape. She wouldn't kill him, of course, but humans did seem terribly affected by those large claws, especially on an unprotected chest and abdomen area.

Springing over the last hurdler, Trowa hit ground one last time before springing with all his might. He flew eight feet into the air, twisting twice and landing on top of the exit door, which led to Duchess' cage.

The tiger ran into the cage, her momentum being too strong to stop herself. Trowa slammed the cage door down, silencing her agonizing growl at being caught off guard and missing her prey. 

Standing up, the sweat covered man turned to the audience and bowed. There was a great cheer, like all of the acts combined into one. Clapping and cheering, the audience began to stand up. _"A standing ovation…on my first performance….wow….thank you God."_ He murmured a quick prayer of thanks to whatever deity that Ralara had so much faith in.

Dakota came out of a side door in the glass and offered her hand for Trowa to take. He grasped her wrist and pulled her up on to the cage with him. The announcer's voice boomed over the clapping,

"Ladies and gentlemen, Trowa Barton, Duchess the tigress, and her trainer, Dakota Slayer!" 

Ever act after that was almost monotone compared to the awe from the Tigress Act. Certainly, the audience applauded, but they didn't pay much attention. All went home that night, still replaying the scene in their minds, enjoying every minute of it.

**_Back at the Gundam Apartments…_**

"Dude Trowa, that was so awesome, I mean really, that was really SO cool!" Trowa just rolled his eyes at the braided one's comments. Duo's mouth had been running from the time he'd seen Trowa till now.

"Look, Duo, I know it was great. I enjoyed it too. But I could have done better. And I'm really very tired now, okay? I think I'll go to bed now. I gotta get up in the morning." He explained quietly. Duo looked up at him and smiled. 

"Okay." And with that, he strolled into the other room with Sky and sat on the couch, turning on the tube watching some strange Japanese anime rerun.

Ignoring everyone's bulging eyes and shocked expressions, he nodded once at them and walked upstairs to his room. Dakota, Heero, and several others soon followed him, tired from the long day. 

Heero, however, couldn't sleep. Looking begrudgingly at his wheelchair, he snarled at it and got in. Using his now-healed arms to push himself, he rolled downstairs.

He was surprised to find that while Duo was still up, Sky was no where to be seen. Ignoring the Sailor Moon* rerun, he sat down on the couch by his best friend. 

"Where's Sky?" He asked quietly, startling the boy who had been so absorbed in the T.V. he hadn't noticed anyone come in.

"Oh, she went to bed a while ago. I stayed up to finish the episode. It's a special." He explained.

"Oh." Was his only short remark. _I….I don't think I've really done this much. Sit down here with my friends and watch Tv. I wonder…._

"Duo?" He asked again.

The long-haired pilot turned to look at him, surprised that he would comment on anything. He never did. **_Course, he never had amnesia before either…_**"Yeah, what?"

"Did I ever do this before?" 

Now it was Duo's turn to be confused. "Do what before?"

"Sit here and watch t.v. It doesn't…s…eem right." He stuttered a bit over the last bit of his sentence, angrily scolding himself for it.

"No….I don't think you probably did…" He said quietly. A thought sprung to mind at Heero's shocked eyes. **_Who'd think that he'd ever be shocked to hear that about himself?_**

"You know Duo…." He said as he got up again, ready now to go to bed, "I don't think I ever want all my memories back. I think I'd hate myself too much. Maybe this is my chance….to make up for everything I've been told I've done. Maybe there is a God, Duo….just maybe."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven…wow…I'm really getting up there! But you know, I'm nowhere near being done…oh well, enjoy this chapter! Reviews welcome.

Chapter 11

Trowa was dragged abruptly into the conscious world by the ringing of a telephone. At that moment, he wondered two things. One was why he had ever agreed to get a telephone hooked up next to his bed. Yes, it had come in handy for last minute missions, but now he was seriously considering unhooking it. Secondly, who would call him at three in the morning?

Picking up the phone, he answered groggily. "Hello?"

It was the ringmaster. "Hello Trowa. One of the elephants is sick, and it's raising such a ruckus we can't get anything done. Plus the tiger cages and equipment are being cleaned today. Why don't you just stay home?"

Trowa paused to think over the ringmaster's words. He realized that it boiled down to the boss giving him a paid vacation day. The boss must really have been pleased with the previous nights performance. They were not scheduled for another show until tomorrow morning, making this vacation time even better. 

"Thank you sir. Will Dakota be getting the day off as well?" He asked. 

"Yes, however, I couldn't get ahold of her -" 

"I'll contact her for you sir. Thank you so much." Trowa told him before hanging up. He smiled. _A day off with Dakota! What could be better?_

Going back to sleep now that he was wide awake was not really an option. So, sliding out from his warm bed, he hopped from rug to rug across the tile floor to his dresser. 

Slipping on a comfortable pair of jeans and a blue tee shirt, he hopped one last time to the carpeted adjoining room. He was careful not to make any noise as he left his apartment and headed down the stairs, bare feet making no noise as he crept down them.

He stopped at the second floor. Heero had moved back upstairs after the girls had moved in, but sometimes Trowa wished he had stayed on the main floor. They all could keep a better eye on him there. _I guess he needs his privacy…maybe his room will bring back memories…who knows what he's got in there…_

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he continued down to the family floor where he headed toward the kitchen and the source of all morning life - coffee. He was surprised to see that he had beaten Dakota downstairs for the first time since he had moved in. Deciding that he would appreciate coffee as well, he set the coffeemaker for two cups and walked over to one of the more comfy chairs in the kitchen. Sitting down, he closed his eyes to wait. 

***

Dakota was awakened by the annoying beep of her alarm clock. She rolled over and stared at the glaring red numbers that said 3:30. A.M. of course. She groaned. _I **so** do not want to get up._ She thought to herself. Then, however, her mind drifted to Trowa in his circus outfit, and decided that maybe today wouldn't be too bad. 

She got dressed quickly, leaving her room with a silence that would impress even Heero. If she woke any of the other four girls up at this hour, they would raise the roof. With that in mind, Dakota stepped quietly down the stairs and did not dare even breathe until she had reached the next floor. 

By the time she had reached the kitchen, Dakota had woken up a bit. The smell of freshly made coffee greeted her as she walked into the room. Going over to the coffee maker, she poured two cups - one for herself, and one for the clown that she was sure would come down soon.

A loud snore startled her. She spun around, not sure what to expect. Then she laughed. Trowa was curled up in a chair, obviously having fallen asleep waiting for her.

Giggling a bit, she set her coffee down and walked over to him. He looked so beautiful when he was asleep, so innocent and pure. Dakota loved it. Of course, she couldn't just let him sleep peacefully. They did have to go to work after all. Besides, waking up the clown would be…fun.

She started by poking him gently in the shoulder, calling his name. "Trowa…Trowa…" He didn't wake up.

An idea came to the girl. She leaned over and killed Trowa on his cheek, between his sideburn and his left ear. That did the trick. His eyes fluttered open, looking for the person who had awoken him. When those eyes saw his beloved, he smiled.

"Good morning Dakota. You look beautiful." 

She blushed, looking down at her clothes. The red v-necked shirt and white khakis were nothing special. Often she wore an even older outfit to work. No matter what she was wearing however, he still seemed to think that she was beautiful. 

"Thank you." She smiled. "But we need to get going Trowa. We're going to be late." 

Trowa smiled, standing up. Taking her hands in his, he replied, "They gave us the day off."

Dakota was really quite shocked. A day off? After last week's shows? The ringmaster must have been impressed. Then another thought hit her.

"You mean I got up at 3:30 when I could have slept in? Why didn't you tell me?" She demanded. 

"Hey…hey! Take it easy. I thought…we could have some time alone together." 

He leaned towards her, capturing her lips with his own. The kiss broke off a few seconds later, leaving Dakota staring up in to that beautiful green eye. She smiled. 

"Alright." She agreed, walking over to the couch with him. "But I'm taking a nap." 

Putting his arm around her protectively, Trowa whispered, "As long as it's in my arms, I'm happy." His words never met her ears. Dakota was already asleep. And soon, so was he.

She didn't wake up when the door slammed, but Trowa did. He turned a groggy eye towards the door. It was Duo. He looked very tired. His clothes were disheveled, and covered in grease. 

"Duo…are you alright?" He asked, somewhat concerned. Duo stayed up too late, too often. 

He yawned. "Yeah…I'm just…tired. I was…" He paused to cough a bit. "I was just finishing up an order. I…just need sleep." He muttered, coughing his way across the room. 

Trowa followed him with his eyes until he was up the stairs. He knew the boy made himself sick by working such crazy hours, but he said little to him about it. If he did, the American would just blow him off. As it was, he kept a careful watch on him from afar. He sighed, and then closed his eyes again. 

***

Heero was the next to rise, an upset stomach disturbing him at nearly five in the morning. He lay in bed, stomach churning, trying to decide what to do. Should he try to make it down stairs, and possible aggravate his stomach more, or sty here and hope it calmed down?

When it lurched again, Heero realized it wasn't going to calm down. His fluid, vitamin, and other mineral requirements were all out of whack. He needed his medicine. Unfortunately, it was all downstairs. Which meant that he had to go.

With the first decision out of the way, he had another choice to make - how was he going to get down there? There was his wheelchair which he hated, or his crutches, which, while allowing him more freedom, were not as reliable as the metal wheeled device.

**_The crutches._** Why? **Easier access to the bathroom. **You're getting to be as much as a wimp as me.** Shut up and take the crutches!** Heero knew better then to argue with the soldier-voice in his head. He didn't remember much about what the voice even was, much less where it came from, but he knew it was not smart to provoke it.

Sitting up, he attached the braces to his arms, and got a firm hold on his crutches. With one strong heave, he was on his feet and swinging his way down the hall and stairs. 

Once on the ground floor, he paused a moment to catch his breath. His stomach was really giving it to him now. _Come on…you can make it to the kitchen_ He told himself. And he did. But as he was reaching for the medicine, something gave inside. His supper from the night before began to come up, threatening to exit his system completely.

Heero spun, booking it to the bathroom. He silently began to pray he would hold it in until he reached the toilet. Finally, he reached the bathroom. As he swung in however, one of his crutches slipped, causing him to lose his balance. Heero fell. 

He hit the tile hard, grunting in pain. The crutches went everywhere. This was all too much for his already upset stomach. Right there on the floor, inches from the toiled, Heero began to throw up.

***

The sleeping couple were awoken by a loud "thump." Dakota turned to Trowa, question all over her face. 

"What was that?" She asked curiously. Trowa shrugged.

"Sounded like it came from the bathroom." He stated. They looked at each other for a moment, then both shouted, "HEERO!"

They raced to the bathroom, only to stop at the door in shock. Heero was crying and throwing up. It seemed as if he had tripped and hit the floor, causing the sound that had woken them up.

Trowa moved first, being used to this sort of thing far more then Dakota. He knelt down by Heero and whispered, "Shh…Heero it's okay. I'm gonna help you."

He reached down and helped the sick boy to sit up. Heero leaned over the toilet and finished what he'd started on the floor. Finally, after about fifteen minutes of heaving, he coughed a couple of times, and leaned back into Trowa's arms. Tears were still rolling down his face, and he was a mess all over.

Trowa held him close, trying to stop his friend's trembling. "It's okay Heero...shhh…it's okay, you're safe now." He soothed.

Heero would not be comforted. "Bu..but I t…hrew up all o…over the p..place, a…a…and you saw…a…a…and" He trailed off, coughing again.

"Hey, hey. Heero, look at me." He instructed the boy. When Heero did as he was told, he said calmly, "I don't hate you. I don't think you're weak either. You're going to get better, I promise."

This seemed to calm him down a bit. Careful to not hurt him more, Trowa picked up his friend, and carried him out to the couch. Dakota followed. He laid Heero gently on the blue cushions, wrapping a blanket around him and putting a pillow under his head. Satisfied that he'd be comfortable, he turned to Dakota.

"Can you get him cleaned up and get his medicine for him? I'm goin gto go clean up the bathroom." 

She nodded. Looking back at Heero resting on the couch, it was ward to imagine that the tear stained face f the broken boy tying there had once been the most feared pilot in the Earth Sphere and Colonies. _The things that war causes God…it's awful. Help me to help him heal God…_

Brushing the thought away as best she could, she went over to the cupboards and got out a large bowl and cup. Filling the bowl full of lukewarm water and soap, she took the dishtowel and soaked it in the water. In the cup she put cold water, so Heero could rinse out his mouth. Taking both bowl and cup back to the couch, she set them down on the metal and glass coffee table that Quatre had bought recently.

"Heero, can you sit up?" She asked gently.

He opened his eyes and sat up, though not without a minor bit of difficulty. Deep Prussian blue eyes stared at her questionably. 

"Just relax, I'm gonna clean you up." She told him.

Her gentle hands took the damp towel and began to wash his face. All of the tear stains and other junk came off under her care. When she had finished washing his face, she raised the cup to his lips.

"Why don't you rinse your mouth out with this Heero?" She offered. " You can spit into the bowl. 

He nodded gratefully, taking the cup from her. Heero took a deep drink from the cup, swishing it around in his mouth and spitting it back out into the bowl. Then he finished the cup off, replacing some of the fluids he'd lost that morning. 

By this time, Trowa had returned from cleaning up the bathroom. He was getting Heero's medicine out of the cupboards.

Dakota met Trowa as she brought the dishes up to the sink and rinsed them out. Her boyfriend gave her a hope glance. "He'll be okay." He mouthed to her, bringing the medicine with him as he went over to where Heero lay. 

The spy watched him, smiling to herself as she watched him helping his friend. While he seemed distant to everyone else, Dakota, and Heero too, now, saw the kinder side of Trowa. He always tried to be helpful, especially to his sick friend. If Heero was ever going to get better, it would be partly because of his help. 

All of the pilots cared for Heero, even Wu Fei, though he didn't know how to show it well. Heero had saved all of their lives at several points, and now was their chance to pay him back. Quatre especially was determined to see the Perfect Soldier through this. 

_Yes. He **will** get better. Got will heal him._ She said to herself, coming over to the couch to join them. Though she seldom declared it, Dakota had a firm belief in God, one she'd found during the war when things had gone beyond helplessness. She prayed for Heero every night.

Heero had finished taking his medicine, and lay back with his eyes closed. Trowa sat in a chair next to him, watching over him like a protective brother. He looked up when Dakota sat on his lap, looking at him with a concerned glance. Trowa smiled, putting his arm around her and drawing her to him. 

"Don't worry Dakota. I'll protect you. Both of you." Trowa said firmly, turning back keeping watch over both his girlfriend and his comrade, knowing that hope rose with the sunrise.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Jet: Well, after a LONG time…chapter twelve is out. It's long, and I hope you enjoy it. This is where my story really comes to a…peak. Have fun, and review at the new address: SacriligevsCrossX@hotmail.com

It was now about nine o'clock, and all the occupants of the Gundam Apartments were now awake. Each of them had been permitted to "visit" Heero, who was still under Trowa's watch, though Ralara was taking care of him for the moment.

J'Amier and Wu Fei were getting ready for work, as were the others. Duo had fallen asleep halfway through his breakfast due to a very, very late order he'd been working on the day before.

Several days ago Sky and Ice had both gotten jobs via Quatre - Sky as a cashier at Wal-Mart, Ice as a new secretary for one of the employees in Quatre's office building. They had both gone already, not wanting to be late for their first job. Quatre had checked in with Heero, offering friendly words and some advice before going to a business meeting. 

Once Wu Fei and J'Amier had gone, the two couples and Duo were left alone. Trowa was making coffee for Duo and Heero, and he'd also gotten Duo a bottle of wine. Nothing strong enough to make him drunk - Duo was uncontrollable drunk - but enough to satisfy him. The American was an alcoholic, though he was working on curbing the habit.

Dakota sat on the couch next to Ralara, who was administering cold water to Heero's burning forehead. Ralara had been a nurse during the war, and the spy knew how useful she was to have the girl around. Not just for Heero. Back when she'd been an active spy, the nurse had helped her a lot, covering for her injuries, absences from school, and supplying her with medical supplies.

"How's he doing?" She asked.

Ralara's blue-streaked hair fell into her face as she looked up. "I think he'll be okay once his fever goes down. But you and Trowa don't need to stay here all day. It's 9:30 already, and by the time you get ready it'll be 11 or so. Go make lunch reservations Dakota." She advised, knowing how much the girl wanted to spend time with her boyfriend. Besides, both she and Trowa worked hard. They deserved the day off. 

Trowa, walking in with the coffee, tea, and wine caught the last bid of the girl's conversation. Setting the drinks down on the coffee table he began to protest. 

"But Ralara, we can't just leave you here with two boys to take care of. Duo'll need just as much attention. He's been working too much on that recent order. He made himself sick, you know that."

Ralara smiled. "I don't mind. It's what I do best - making people feel better. Later, I'm planning on taking them out to the park." 

The couple looked at each other uneasily. It was obvious they felt guilty about leaving Ralara alone. It was equally obvious that they would appreciate some time to themselves, and while they wished to say and help with the sick ones, they also wished to go out for a while.

Heero's girlfriend sighed. "Do I have to kick you two out of the house or what? Go on, go get ready! Shoo!" She motioned for them to leave the room.

Smiling, Trowa slid his hand into Dakota's and took her up to her room. "I'll be back for you in an hour." He whispered, walking over to the stairs to go get ready as well. He blew her a kiss before disappearing. 

Dakota smiled. She loved Trowa, especially the way he was now. He was so friendly and caring. Totally different from when she'd met him. Or when he met me. I've changed too. She thought to herself.

Slowly Dakota walked through her entryway, pausing to look at her favorite paintings she had hung on the wall. After studying them for a few minutes, she moved on. Let's see…I have to shower, dress in that gown I bought last week, do my makeup…sheesh, I'd better get going! She urged herself, walking quickly through her lush living room filled with couches, chairs, an intricate computer and entertainment system, and a wall screen TV. Military salaries came in handy. 

When she reached the bathroom, she had to stop and look at it for one moment. It was beautiful. Her shower was large and luxurious, with a rack of soft, fluffy towels to dry off with. The sink was in three parts, all made of marble, with stone shelves for all her makeup. Plus there was a four-part floor length mirror with a shelf and stool nearby so she could get ready. 

In the middle of the floor was the best thing of all. A Jacuzzi. That was Dakota's favorite part and it made the whole room. Still smiling, she shut the door to take her shower.

Back downstairs….

Ralara shook her head and sighed. Brushing Heero's bangs away from his face, she got up. Since neither Trowa nor Dakota had called a dinner resort, she had put it upon herself to do it. Besides, she needed to wake Duo up and move him to the couch - sleeping on the countertop wasn't the best thing for him. 

When she reached the telephone, she paused. What would be a good restaurant…how about Divinadato? Divinadato was a high-class restaurant in a good part of the colony. Ralara had always wanted to go there. The next best thing would be seeing her best friend go. 

Making reservations did not take long. The receptionist was very kind to her, and gave her a good deal on the reservations. Ralara used her own credit account to pay for it. If the couple wished to pay her back, that was fine. If not, that was also fine.

Ralara was brought out of her reverie by Duo's loud snoring. She smiled. The braided was leaping against the counter - braid in his bowl of cereal. She walked over softly to where Duo slept. Nudging him, she spoke to him.

"Duo…Duo wake up." She shook him gently.

With a slight moan, Duo opened his large violet eyes. He muttered something sleepily. It was unintelligible.

"Shh…It's okay. I'm going to help you to another couch. You can sleep then, okay?" She whispered. 

He nodded, slowly getting up. Ralara took his arm around her shoulders and helped him walk to a blue couch and lay down. Duo flopped onto the cushions, immediately burrowing into a pillow. Around himself he wrapped a quilt that had been hanging on the arm of the couch. Ralara helped him tuck it in.

Within minutes, he was asleep again. Ralara watched him; his large eyes closed peacefully, his braid and bangs framing his angelic face. For a moment, she wished the war had never happened. Then maybe all the pilots would be more like what they looked like asleep. Innocent. Gentle. Kind. Loving. Instead they were cold, cruel at times, and hated their enemies. Oh well…it's no good harping on the past. Better to think about the present, I have enough problems with that. She thought to herself, getting up to clean off the countertop and check on Heero again.

1 hour later…

Trowa whistled as he shaved. He was very happy. Finally, Dakota and he would be able to go out to eat. He would finally get to spend some time with her.

His suit was not that of a businessman, or a nice tux such as Quatre may have worn, but his own style. He wore black suede pants with a black belt in loops around it, falling to the top of the black boots he wore. Tucked into these pants was a light, white Aiden Blackard designer shirt. It was short sleeved, and the silver buttons were fastened down two from the top. His collar was turned down, and a gold clip of a gun was attached to the left side. 

He wore a cross on a silver chain round his neck, though his was of a more gothic style then Duo's Catholic one. He rubbed it subconsciously, as he always did. He sighed as he remembered the reason he had it in the first place. In memory of Midi Une…He sighed again, forcing memories of her away. I have Dakota now. I don't need anyone else. She's my angel now. And with that he left the room.

Trowa smiled as he knocked on Dakota's door. He waited patiently, fidgeting in excitement. She would come to the door any second.

He didn't have to wait long. Soon she opened the door, and stepped out. She looked beautiful. Her dress was red, and came down around her ankles. The dress had slits up to mid thigh, decorated with sequins.

Dakota looked up at her date's lovely green eye. The emerald orb was clear and shone with intelligence and love. She smiled; something she hadn't done much since the war had ended. The moment, of course, was not meant to last, because at that moment Ralara appeared before them.

"You two are so cute! I should tape you guys!" She exclaimed, laughing at the glare she knew that the Slayer was giving her. Of course, like she always did, she ignored it. Her voice was filled with urgency as she told them, "You can't be late! I made reservations at Divinadato for you!"

Dakota stopped in mid-glare. What she had heard was just impossible. Divinadato was the most expensive, classy, and all around best Italian restaurant in the whole Earth Sphere and Colonies. Somehow her friend had managed to secure a reservation. It was incredible. 

She didn't really know what to say. "D…Divinadato?" She must have heard wrong. It just couldn't be! "The Divinadato?" She asked. Heero's girlfriend nodded. 

Without a further thought, Dakota ran to her friend and gave her a hug. It was a bit uncharacteristic of her, but it was what she could do. The Slayer couldn't scream "DIVINADATO! I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO THERE!" now could she? Her training wouldn't allow it. A hug would have to suffice. It did.

Ralara's face lit up in a way Dakota had only seen a few times before. She grinned at Dakota. They smiled at each other, in a special girl-to-girl smile that said, "Thanks so much," and "Don't worry about it. Don't be late!" 

That small smile conversation was all Dakota needed. She grabbed her befuddled boyfriend's hand, and squeezed it to assure him that while he might be clueless as to her behavior, she was perfectly fine, and knew what she was doing. Without much resistance, she began to pull him across the room, explaining in rather loud exclamations, why Divinadato had the reputation it had, and how they couldn't be late.

Trowa smiled softly as his girl did this. He was perfectly content to play the fool, letting her rant and rave about the restaurant. It was good for her to do this, to enjoy something this much. He would have to learn how to do such a thing himself. Perhaps it would be good for him too. 

The couple passed Heero who was now awake and sitting up, fever gone. He looked pale, but was in much better condition then when they'd found him that morning. His eyes watched them speed across the room. Wishing that he still had that calm, deadly voice from his dreams, but only having a soft one, he called out to them. 

"Trowa, Dakota. You want to be in style. Take my car." It took a moment for him to fish out his keys and then fling them to Trowa. The moment was not wasted however, for the couple had stood there, stunned that he would let them use his baby.

"You know, this has been a really good day." Dakota remarked after thanking Heero. Trowa smiled, squeezing her shoulders. "It can only get better."

----

He gave a small sigh as the happy couple left. If only he could do something like that for Ralara…but he never felt up to a date, or much of anything. The helplessness was not something he was used to, though he was only beginning to remember what he had done in his free time. Because of this, he often got depressed about his condition, and wished things were better. 

Like an angel of light in his dark cloud of depression, Ralara came in the room. It seemed that she could sense his unhappiness miles away. She always had a smile on her face and a kind word on her lips. These were the things he loved in her. Things that were hard to find in other girls - like Duo's new girl for instance.

Heero looked guiltily over at Duo, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. The boy would be furious if he had said that out loud. Duo was very happy with Sky, and he loved her very much. Supposedly the Girl Scout loved him too, so it wasn't his job to interfere. Even if she wasn't very "Girl Scouty" and he didn't think she was in it for true love. But what did he know? He couldn't even remember how to tie his own shoes some days. The ex-soldier shrugged. If his friend was happy, then so be it.

"So Heero, what do you want to do today?" Ralara asked speaking up. She didn't like that dark, brooding expression that Heero got on his face sometimes, like several seconds ago. His friends had hold her he used to have that look on his face 24/7; she was glad she had never seen him like that.

"Do? I…what did you want to do?" He asked, not having any plans of his own. His girlfriend smiled, and he fought the urge to cringe.

"I was hoping you would ask." She said, though he knew she would have told him anyway. "I was thinking that we could go out to the park and swim or get an ice cram, then watch a movie or something. Would you like that?"

Heero looked at her. He didn't know what to say, because he didn't really know how he felt about it. Swimming seemed fun for her, but not so much for him. It wasn't that he couldn't do it-his arms were strong, and he could easily pull himself around. But he didn't want to do that in public, with everyone…looking at him. There may have been a time when he didn't care what anyone thought of him, but it was different now. 

The problem was if he refused what Ralara had offered; she would be hurt. And he didn't want to hurt her. Ever. Something told him that he couldn't. That he had screwed up earlier in his life with some girl and he couldn't, and wouldn't screw up this time. He was saved from answering by Duo, who had been woken up by the girls' earlier exclamations. 

"That's a great idea. Can we go shoppin' too?" He asked.

Ralara smiled. "Shopping Duo?" She asked, curiously looking over at him.

He was propped up on his elbows, his soft violet orbs that hid so much pain looked at her through half closed lids. His braid had come undone, and his hair fell in waves around his angelic face. He was truly a beautiful creature, even from the point of view of a coupled girl such as herself.

"Shopping." He repeated. "I finished a big project, and I …*Yawn*…have money. I like to shop, and find sexy clothes. 'Cause I'm sexy." He finished, showing his teeth in a grin.

Ralara and Heero groaned. "Whatever you say Duo." His friend sighed. Duo glared and stuck out his tongue, throwing a feather pillow his way.

"Alright, that's enough you too. It sounds like a good idea to me Duo. Heero, do you feel up to going now?" She asked him softly.

Heero looked at his girlfriend with his deep blue eyes. It was true, he felt better then he had that morning, but he didn't really know if he felt up to going out town. Slowly he snaked one of his hands over to Ralara's and slipped it into hers. Her hand was warm, and felt so small and delicate in his. His hands were twice the size, and he often liked to hold both of her hands in one of his. Yet, he drew strength from her; she helped him keep living.

He looked at her once more, and sighed. "I think I'll be okay, but I need to change first." He said softly. 

Duo was already beside him. "I'll help you upstairs buddy." He told his friend.

At first it seemed like Heero was going to refuse. Then he sighed, and took Duo's hand. He put all the pressure on his friend's shoulder as he stood up, making Duo clench his teeth a bit. The violet-eyed man grinned though, and said, "Hey, it's good that you're gaining weight. The doctor ordered that didn't he?"

Heero sighed, leaning heavily on his friend as they began to cross the room. They took the elevator, of course – stairs would have been too much work. When they got to Heero's room, Duo laid him gently on the bed and walked over to his friend's dresser. It was nearly bare, with only a few mementos from Ralara on them. While his personality had changed with his accident, his décor sure hadn't. 

"What are you going to wear? I'll get it out for you." Duo told him.

The injured man had his eyes closed, thinking. He tried to remember all of his outfits, and what Ralara liked best on him. If he had to go out town, he might as well look good. Finally, he voiced his decision.

"Some of the gray wind pants, the baggy ones with long black strings, blue long-sleeved v-neck shirt, and a black vest – a wool one, not polyester." He told the other. 

It took a moment of searching to find the garments requested. Putting them on his arm, he asked, "Anything else?" Heero nodded, requesting a black patterned bandanna to cover his implants, some regular socks and underwear. He also asked for his sneakers. 

Duo brought the small pile of clothes over to Heero's bed and dropped them beside him. He looked at him, wondering if Heero would be all right dressing himself. The glare decided it for him. "I'll go get dressed myself, 'kay?" Heero nodded, and Duo quickly let himself out of the room.

Heero sighed, taking off the old shirt and pulling his v-neck on over his head. Who would have thought that v-necks would become popular with men? Only after Aiden Blackard modeled them. He thought to himself. I wonder if I'll ever meet Aiden…Oh brother. What? Nothing. Get dressed – if you can weakling. The argument left him confused. He really needed to see someone about his split personalities. 

It wasn't too long before he was dressed. The operation had become a little tricky when he had to put his pants on, but he had managed. Somehow, he always did. 

Duo was back for him. The chestnut haired boy had appeared at the door, grinning and overflowing with hyper energy. He never slowed down. His hair had been combed, re-braided, and he had changed. Now the outfit he sported was a loose red silk shirt – short sleeved, of course – and it was tucked into tight fitting black jeans. A black leather jacket was in his hands, and sunglasses rested atop his head. 

"Ready?" He asked, flashing white teeth. 

"Yeah." Heero replied, looking regretfully over at his wheelchair. "Do I have to?" He whispered. 

His friend was about to answer, when Ralara appeared at the door. "No…if you think you are up to using your braced crutches." She told him, holding them up. The crutches had an attached ring for his hands, and the sides of the crutches attached to his upper arm. The body of the crutch was the same as a normal one however, minus the attachments.

"I…can do that." He said softly, taking them from her. It took only seconds for him to strap them on, and then he stood up shakily. 

Seeing that everyone was ready, Ralara smiled. "Alright, let's go. I have your swimming stuff, money and…a surprise for you later. I packed it all in Duo's truck." She announced. 

"A surprise? In my truck? Sweet!" Duo exclaimed, pulling out his keys and preparing to rush out the door. 

"Uh-uh! You can't peek!" Ralara told him. "That's why it's a surprise. Now, let's go out to the truck and get out of here." 

Duo sighed, and followed her out. On the way out the door, Duo taped a note he had written earlier to the refrigerator. It explained where they had gone, and when they might get back, in case one of the girls came home, or someone got done work early. He also locked the door with his key, and walked out to the garage where they kept his truck. 

They could have taken the black Camaro that Duo owned, but Ralara had chosen the old beaten up black truck that Duo kept around incase he wanted to go somewhere without being noticed by his friends, co-workers, or anyone else for that matter. Sticking the key in the ignition, he started it, and they were off.

~~~

It was now 11:00 sharp, and Trowa was right on time. He pulled the fancy metallic blue car up to the entrance gate and punched in an access number that he had been given by Ralara into a number key by the Comm. System. He waited several seconds, and then the light on the pad turned green. A small computer voice spoke as the gate began to open.

Party: Barton. Table: 17. Waitress: Clept McGlaughlin. Please proceed to Entrance 3. It directed them.

"Thank you." Trowa said, not knowing if there was another person on the other end of the computer or not. Still, it never hurt to be polite, especially when you were on a reservation at a fancy restaurant that could easily cancel your table for a more elegant, and rich, person.

With skill, he pulled up to Gate 3. A valet greeted him there, and took the keys. Trowa slipped him a twenty as he handed them over. He wanted to get a good spot, where his car would not be damaged or stolen, neither by hooligans, or the valet himself. As a result of his training, he trusted no one, and perhaps rightly so.

He let Dakota out of the passenger's seat and took her hand, helping her out of the car. He looked back at the valet and nodded his head, giving him permission to park it, but also sending a warning. It seemed the communication went through clearly, for the valet drove toward the garage very carefully.

"Shall we go?" He asked his date. 

"Of course." She replied.

Together they walked through the waiting gate. There, Dakota gasped in awe. The room was beautiful; silk curtains and tapestries hung from the wall, and dozens of tiny mirrors all over the room reflected light from a single gigantic chandelier, which seemed to be made of diamonds. There were several statues and fountains in the room, including ones with colored water. The carpet was thick and soft, and Dakota's heels sunk with every step. The table was built for two, and had a silk tablecloth on it. There were golden candlesticks on the table, and matches to light them. A large bouquet decorated the middle of the table, while silk ribbons trimmed the edges of the cloth. Even the napkin rings seemed to be made of gold and the seat cushions of silk and bird's feathers. It was beautiful.

"Oh…Trowa…look…." Dakota whispered in awe. He nodded in agreement.

Just then, a small woman with blue hair highlighted with purple stepped into the room. She was wearing a very fashionable waitress outfit, though Dakota was pleased to see that her skirt was rather long for such a place as this – it was certainly longer then mid-thigh. That was good. The last thing she wanted was some girl flaunting around on their first date.

"Hello." She greeted them with a sincere smile. "I'm your waitress, Clept McGlaughlin. If you would sit down, I have your menus for you." 

They did so, taking their menus as well. "Are all of the rooms singles?" Dakota asked curiously. 

The waitress laughed. "Oh no, this one was ordered special for you. You have a nice friend. Keep her." She said. 

"Yes, she was kind." Trowa agreed. The waitress apparently was the same one who had made the reservation with Ralara.

Clept had turned to go when a small girl child, about 2 years old hobbled out, dressed in a large T-shirt and ragged pants. "Me atta meatata hote bey." (I'm hungry mama; I wanna eat now.) The girl turned red in embarrassment. 

"I'm sorry. Reora, you need to get back in the kitchen. These people don't want you running around here."

Trowa interrupted the child, who was about to protest. "No…it's alright…she can come and go with you. Why don't you get her something to eat…we will be a few moments." He offered.

The woman looked at him with relief in her face. "Okay Reora, I'll get you something in the kitchen, come on." The child hooted in joy, and followed her mother.

"Hm. It's strange to see a nice girl like that with a child. She can't be more then 21." He mused. And that child…she reminds me of a female version of Yowlin…without the green skin and tail…I wonder…I'd heard he'd had several children, but…after the breakup of Sacrilege? 

"Trowa?" Dakota asked quietly, wondering what the boy was thinking. 

He quickly snapped out of his daze and smiled back at her. "Just thinking that I wasn't planning on having kids anytime soon." He said softly to her, taking her other hand in his.

She blushed. "That's good. I'd have to see a ring first and you haven't even…" Then she stopped. He had gotten a very, very serious look about him. Something that she thought that she liked very much. Slowly he leaned over the table, a look of love in his eyes. She closed her own as he tilted her chin up and very delicately touched her lips with his own. 

It was like nothing she had experienced before. True, it was not her first kiss, and probably not his either, but it was…different. Perhaps it was because she was truly in love with him. She would never know, but would treasure it always.

Unknown to either of them, Clept had been watching along with Reora, who was sucking on a piece of bread. Strangely, she was not saddened as she usually was, but smiling. I remember when I used to do that. It's real love, not the lust that I see so often that makes me cry. I remember…when Yowlin used to kiss me like that…

~~~

"Wooohooo! ROAD TRIP!" Duo yelled from the driver's seat, his head out the window. "Oooon the roooad again…" Duo grinned at his best friend, who sad rigidly on the other side of the vehicle. 

"You don't like my singin' Heero?" He laughed. 

Heero snorted. "Your car's singing bothers me more." 

It was indeed something to worry about. The car's engine was whining from being pushed at speeds of almost 100 miles per hour. Duo's car could easily handle that speed – his truck could not. 

Ralara was white. She looked as if she was trembling, and indeed she was. Calmly, with a frightened edge to her voice, she spoke to Duo.

"Duo – slow – down." He looked at her, then over to Heero, who was scowling, and sighed.

"Fine. We're coming to Drev. Dome anyway." 

As Duo slowed their vehicle down, it became apparent that they were approaching the gates. Drev. Dome was a city inside the L2 colony cluster that was built to look as if it was underwater. In fact, a thirty-foot thick aquarium filled with coral and brilliantly colored sea life formed the outside layer of the Dome. 

The gates themselves were large and fancy. They seemed to be made out of pearls, and were elaborately decorated with engravings of many different animals. At the foot of the gates were lowly creatures such as starfish and sea urchins, and the chain of animals went up to beckoning mermaids, large whales, and giant snapping turtles. On the very handles of the gates resided two rearing sea dragons, their teeth gleaming and eyes flashing. 

"Wow." Ralara whispered. "I…I've gone past the Drevonian Dome, but I've never come here. It's beautiful." 

"It's where I grew up. Trowa too, after awhile. It's not so glamorous after you've seen it all your life."

A guard stopped them at the gate, in full blue and gray uniform and body armor that contrasted slightly with his dark skin. "Your identification sir? If you even _have_ one at your age." His black eyes looked bored from the monotone job he held. He shifted the machine gun he carried on his back as he waited for the I.D.

"Here ya go." Duo grinned, handing him his Preventor's I.D. As he had many alibis he had many different identifications, including ones for the underground. This one also identified him as a Gundam Pilot.

"Hey, nice hair!" He grinned as the guard scowled. Then he had to hold his laughter in as the man inspected the embossed seal. The guard's eyes grew wide with wonder that a Gundam Pilot would come to Drevonian dome.

Then, and this was the part that really made him laugh, was the horror in his widened eyes as he realized how gruff he'd been to a _Gundam Pilot_. 

"I…I'm so sorry sir. Please for give my rudeness sir. You may proceed to parking gate 12. Do you need assistance getting there?"

Taking back his identification, he finally let out a burst of laughter that echoed off the walls. The guard looked at him strangely, as if he was crazy.

"I grew up here. I think I know the way." He grinned, pulling away from the gate.

Duo looked ahead of him at the city. It was full of people and activity. Sub-consciously his eyes strayed to a large gap in the city streets. At one time, a magnificent church had stood there, but it was there no longer. The Maxwell Church.

His bright eyes grew dull. Grief came to him, as he remembered Father Maxwell, Sister Helen, and his times there. As he pulled into the parking lot, he caught himself muttering their names aloud. 

He didn't notice the worried glances Ralara was giving him as he parked the car. Finally, she spoke up after almost a minute of silence.

"Are you alright Duo?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Came the snapped answer.

"Are…are you sure?" 

"Yes. I just…need to be alone. I'll meet you at Aiden Blackard in a few minutes. We can shop before we eat." He told her. "I've got to get some new 'sexy' clothes anyway." He finished softly.

Ralara looked as if she was going to protest, but Heero laid a hand on her arm. "Let's just go." He told her. She nodded, turning to help him out of the car. Heero looked over his shoulder as they walked into the throng, and saw Duo give him a sad smile as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. 

~~~ 

The marketplace of the Drevonian Dome was an eventful, busy place, and truly fashioned in the old way, with market vendors and carts – no electronic vehicles in sight, though devices were to be found at a number of the stands. Vendors from every colony and country on earth were represented there. People wore garments of every color and shade, some so bright it almost hurt Heero's eyes to look at them. Some were tall, others so short they were heads beneath even his small frame. He even spotted a few mutants, pulling carts and doing other dirty work. There had been an attempt to prevent this genetic mutant labor, but so far, nothing had been done. 

"Heero, look out!" Ralara warned, pulling him to the side of the road.

A large peddler's cart, carrying everything from an assortment of vegetables to steel parts for home units, to several cages of livestock was slowly moving down the road, the driver screaming profanities at those in the way. The huge steel wheels could have easily crushed Heero, and even he had to gulp. His momentary fear did not keep him from noticing the creature harnessed to the cart.

It was a genetic mutant, and with only a loose loincloth between itself and indecency, he clearly identified the creature as male. He was humanoid, as most of the publicly seen mutants were. His size was upsetting, as well as other features. The creature loomed somewhere between seven and eight feet, and Heero could not guess how many hundreds of pounds he weighed.

The creature had finely defined muscles that bulged with every step he took. His dark brown skin and the full head of short red wavy hair he carried were covered in sweat. He breathed laboriously, his large fangs protruding from his mouth, while his bright orange eyes darted from place to place, seeking something only they knew. 

Large animal paws with two cruel claws on each foot dug into the ground. A long tail tipped with a sheathed spike waved around angrily in the air, while his long pointed ears twitched in equal anger. He even carried a pair of tattered wings, blood red in color, folded against his scarred back.

The creature caught Heero looking at it and snarled. "Stay outta my way ya stupid git!" He snorted at him once more before turning to his strenuous task of pulling the cart all by himself.

"Iscrit!" His master screamed. "Stop running yer mouth and start moving faster!" The crack of the whip brought bright yellow blood from the creature's wings and back. He roared in pain, yelling curses in the mutant's tongue. 

Heero pulled Ralara away from the scene. He knew such things upset her. Shakily, she went with him into the heart of the marketplace. 

People's yells were everywhere; yells at being cheated, loud sales pitches, and several screams lost in the throng. They passed many stands, each offering a "unique" product. Cloth, beads, a variety of medicines, clothing for the young lady, jewelry for her neck, and a pretty chain for the master...the list went on. Were it not for the throng, and the craftiness he sensed in the merchants, he would have stopped. As it was, he pushed Ralara through. 

"Aiden Blackard is this way." He motioned to a right side street that would leave much of the crowd behind them.

Heero found himself becoming excited as they approached the huge boutique. It was more then three stories high, and carved out of the finest stones. Their color was indefinite, for they shifted in the light. The store had more then one gate, some for normal people, and some for those of higher stations, and then those for people who were multimillionaires. Each gate was elaborate, and had carvings of sea animals as the front gate did, mostly of the carving of the sea dragon – which was Aiden Blackard's sign.

Duo was waiting for them. He smiled as they came up to him. Heero tried not to cough. His friend reeked of cigarette smoke. Strong cigarette smoke. Ralara gave Duo a look, but did not hold it for long when she saw the sadness in the other boy's eyes. 

"Hey Heero." Kea said softly, holding the door for them.

"Hey Duo. Feeling better?" He asked as he swung past.

"Yeah." 

Duo kept quiet as he walked in. At the sight of the store, a grin slowly spread over his face. He had forgotten how much he loved this store. There were clothes everywhere. Racks not only lined the floor and walls, special outfits even hung from the ceiling. There were women's clothes, and men's clothes, in every style. Clothes were made of everything from cotton to pleather. 

Immediately Duo spotted his favorite section. There were the clothes he loved. Slim, fitting pants, v-necked shirts, pleated clothes, and knitted ones. Leather, in both pants and shirts. Leather was Kea's material of choice. He loved the smell of it, the feel of it, and how it fit on him. Pleather was cool too – though he usually left that to the ladies.

Then he saw them. The coolest pants he had ever seen. They were on a rack by himself, hanging from the ceiling on a model of long legs, and rotating slowly. They were low riding, and made of soft, deerskin colored suede from the look of them. They were tight at the waist and hips, and then loosened at the knees, getting looser as they went to the feet. A belt of woven suede was loosely in the loops and tied in a knot that hung down to mid-thigh. But the coolest thing of the pants was the leather tie-ups on either side. They began at the hem of the pants and laced up three inches from his belt line. These were on either side. A tie up also replaced the zipper in front. They had to be the most awesome pants he'd ever seen!

One of the female clerks had noticed his interest. As the purchase was rather expensive, she was eager to sell it. She was somewhat tall, with luxuriant auburn hair that fell to her shoulders, and lovely brown eyes. Her nametag called her Natasha. What a nice name.

"Can I help you?" She asked. That voice could shake him out of any stupor.

"Um...yeah…can…can I try those on?" He asked. She laughed. 

"Sure, I'll go into the back and getcha pair. What size?" She asked.

"Um..eh..28x34?" He said. "Or…em…if they're normally ladies' pants…em…9/10's?" She smiled again. "I think I can work that out."

She walked off, with Duo right on her heels. He waited as she went into the back, and couldn't help but hear parts of the conversation she had with another person there. 

"Koby…tired…you…head home…get some rest." She was looking over her shoulder as she came out, pants over her arm. He smiled.

Then he saw who she was talking to, and paled. There were two men, and one in particular was one he never thought, nor wanted to see again. They were from a gang called Sacrilege, and they had come after Heero before – with a death warrant, though Duo had never known why. They had barely gotten away. 

His shoulder-length black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, while his long styled bangs fell to either side of his face, one with a blue streak in it. He had traditional black tattoos around his eyes that made the black orbs less able to be noticed. His eyes looked tired, but Duo hardly noticed. His clothes were simple; merely an older gray t-shirt with faded blue jeans. His name was Kobura.

The other scared him more, even if he looked like he was drugged almost to death. His name was Yowlin Isarn, possibly one of the most dangerous mutants ever created. Even stooped he stood almost eight feet. His skin was a bright green, and he claimed it was an ogre heritage. With those flashing yellow eyes, and large fangs, Duo didn't argue. His clothes had changed. He used to wear leather. Now he wore a loose black tank top and a pair of jeans. Duo also noticed he looked tired and in pain. The boy figured it was because of whatever punishment he'd received when his gang had been broken up.

Kobura's black-rimmed eyes widened, and then narrowed in a glare. Apparently the boy remembered him, and how he'd inflicted wounds on his gang mates. He heard a snarl. Yowlin was looking at the ground so he couldn't imagine…

Heero was standing next to him, bristling. If he had lost some of his memory, he apparently hadn't forgotten as far back as the gang. Duo winced when Yowlin looked up, following with a snarl of his own, half-heartedly though it sounded.

Kobura shifted, taking Yowlin's arm. "Come on Yowlin. We're leaving." Suprisingly, the giant followed meekly, like a puppy on a leash, as Kobura pushed past them.

Yowlin looked back over his shoulder with a yellow-eyed glare, and Duo gulped. Sacrilege was back.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey guys! Finally, a 13th chapter! It's not long…but hey, whatever. Some important connections are made here. For the next chapter, just so you'll stop whining, Heero may start to return to character….Questions, comments, suggestions…email me at sacriligevscrossx@hotmail.com ~ Jet

Chapter 13

Pain was all that Yowlin knew. It was around him, through him, and in him. It was all knew since as far back as he could remember. Something far, far back in his memory told him that there had been some other life then this; but for the life of him, he couldn't remember it. 

It was about 11:30 and he was resting on a couch in the back room of _Aiden Blackard_. He thought one of the girls that worked there was rubbing his hair, but it was hard to tell through the pain and fog that resided in his mind. The workers often played with his hair, and sometimes gave him massages after a hard day working at a local logging company. Sometimes he got paid for it, which was strange, but he didn't complain. He never did. Not anymore.

He wasn't paid just for the massages, but the fact that the resident model artists somehow got inspiration for their modeling sketches from him. Now that the _Aiden Blackard_ boutique also carried alien fashions for Drevonians and other important alien species, sketching models had become more convenient and even cheaper then mannequins. 

He heard the door to the back room open and shut, and then a voice that he had missed. "Yowlin, my shift's over. I'll give you your medicine and we can go home okay?" 

The giant man slowly and painfully opened his eyes. He then recognized the voice that had been talking to him. It was Kobura, his fellow gang mate who had been let off of a sentence except to take care of him, and administer heavy drugs to him each day to keep him from being a threat ever again. The boy had only recently turned 21, and already had seven wives and twelve children. As a native Egyptian, this was normal. However, he had seen neither head nor tail of any of them for three years. It had broken him.

"Yowlin. Are you ready to go?" He asked again.

He lifted his head, and slowly nodded, pulling himself up. It took almost his whole concentration to keep himself from screeching. Instantly, Kobura was at his side. "I'm here for ya buddy." Yowlin gave a grateful nod. 

Natasha walked in, he could tell by the smell of her, and spoke to Kobura. "Koby," she said, touching him lightly on the shoulder, "You and Yowlin look tired. You should head home, get some rest." 

"Yes Natasha." Kobura replied, knowing a commanding tone when he heard one. 

Taking Yowlin's wrist, he walked out. That's when he saw them. Two of the cursed Gundam Pilots; Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy. **_Heero Yuy. He'd like to think so. Aiden Blackard is more like it. Wait until Odin finds out that he's alive…_** He gave a glare to Duo, and subconsciously rubbed his left arm. The foot-long scar from a knife Duo had wielded was still there. 

Heero was growling at them. _Growling!_ **_Odin said if he didn't die, he'd at least loose his memory! Darn it all…_** "Let's go Yowlin."

The ogre followed him out. He looked puzzled, and Kobura sighed. Yowlin had more cobwebbed memories from the drugs then anyone he knew. **_Except supposedly "Heero."_** He snorted. 

"What's the matter Yowlin?" He asked.

"What…what was Aiden doing with those two people? And why hasn't he come to visit me? I mean…everyone who's in jail…they can't visit me, but why didn't he?" **_I know he used to hate me, with all that training every day…and he used to get mad when Odin would make me fight him, and when he lost…but…he'd...he'd still visit me wouldn't he?_**

Kobura sighed, directing Yowlin down a side street, and away from the large crowds. Someone always freaked out when he took him through the market. "Aiden…isn't Aiden anymore. He goes by Heero now. And…he's not our gang-mate anymore. He helped turn us in, remember? Dr. J. made him. That's when he left…and when…you had to go on the drugs."

**_No Koby, I don't remember. I don't remember anything about my life in this stupid, screwed up, cobweb mind!_** Yowlin was sub-consciously scanning the back street stands as he stalked past them. He didn't know who he was looking for, but when the man caught his eye, he skidded to a stop.

It was a mutant slave, chained to a stake driven into the ground, waiting for his master to finish sales that day. He was tall, and had brown skin and red hair. Unknown to him, it was the very same mutant Heero had seen earlier. 

Kobura noticed how his charge had stopped. "What's up?" And then he noticed what Yowlin was looking at. He inhaled sharply. Even Yowlin would remember Iscrit.

**_I…I know him…he…_**Images flashed through Yowlin's head. Then it hit him. **_Iscrit! My son…Phoenix's and my son…sold as a slave…no…they couldn't have…_** He bellowed out loud, drawing the attention of everyone, including the merchant and the slave. 

A flash of recognition came over Iscrit's hopeless face. "Y..Yowlin? Father?" He said softly, getting to his feet. "Father!" He tugged fiercely at his restraints, crying his father's name over and over, louder each time.

"No…Yowlin…we can't…." Kobura protested. If Yowlin destroyed anything…he wouldn't be up and about much longer.

"Iscrit!" He cried, roaring himself. He tore away from Kobura's grasp, and, ignoring the pain in his bones, ran to his son, wrapping him up tightly in his arms. "Iscrit…." He whispered softly. "Maschata…eiranda….iataraabia." (My son…life has…been so empty without you.) Iscrit began to cry, hugging his father back. 

"Chara…beharava…. diaraga ba ne havsa beri." (Awful...it's been terrible…I regret the things I have done to you.)

"Desha. Desha buri soosan naka." (Gone. Everything you've done is gone away.) He soothed.

"Hey, you, Egyptian boy! Get him away from my property! Or I'll call the police!" The merchant threatened, waving his fist angrily.

"Come one Yowlin." The ogre ignored him. **_Yowlin…I know you'll kill me, but I'm not gonna let them take you!_** Pressing a button on his watch, he cringed as the ogre screeched in pain as electricity from his metal cuffs shocked him. He looked at his friend with pain-filled eyes. Kobura grabbed him by the wrist, and pulled at him, trying to take him to their house, and away from Iscrit. 

**_What? But Kobura…why?_** Yowlin whimpered, and let go of his son. "Iscrit…Deshatmata bera. DESHATMATA!" (Iscrit…I'll come back for you. I'LL COME BACK!)

Yowlin stared at the ground his whole way back to their small trailer just outside the city. Once they were there, he yanked away from Kobura and stalked to his room. **_Iscrit…sold. I…can't. I can't believe it. Why…why would the sell him? He…was in CrossX. They…wouldn't sell…wouldn't sell him. _**

He heard the door opening softly, and knew it was Kobura. He purposely looked away and muttered, "Come to give me my drugs? Or have you come to tell me that another kid of mine died of flogging?" He spat it out.

Kobura hung his head. "I'm sorry…Yowlin…I didn't want to leave him. But…I don't want you to go to jail either." He paused for a minute, and then continued. "Hold out your arm. I have to give you your shot now."

Yowlin snorted, but stuck his hulk of a left arm out for Kobura to inject. He watched with morbid curiosity as his gang-mate got the needle ready. "Kobura, did CrossX get captured?" He asked before Kobura delivered his shot.

The Egyptian didn't reply until he had injected the contents of the four-inch-long needle into his arm. Then he sighed, and replied while helping Yowlin lay down to get read for the sleep that would come. "Yes. They were caught and received their sentences last year."

Yowlin nodded, but he had already forgotten why he asked the question. His mind drifted. **_Iscrit…Phoenix's child…had other children…never married…or…was I? Yes…I remember…a girl. Only one to marry me. Her name…_** "Kobura, what happened to Clept?" He whispered softly as he drifted to sleep. "I want to see her…I…*yawn*…miss her…and my baby, Reora…"

Kobura smiled sadly. **_He remembers her. I wish he didn't. Her parents broke them up. Made her divorce him, and he doesn't even know. I should tell him, but what's the use. He won't remember it tomorrow._** The Egyptian ruffled Yowlin hair, and walked out, giving one sad look over his shoulder as he shut the door.

~~~

Scene: Dakota and Trowa come home.

Dakota smiled. Their lunch had been perfect. Clept had been an absolutely wonderful waitress, bringing them refills of everything, even when they didn't ask her. And when she had sensed that the couple would like some time to themselves, she conveniently didn't show up at the table for a good half an hour. 

She looked over at her date. He was smiling, and looked very good that way. He was leaning close to her, smiling softly. "I want to say something to you. I promise to always protect and love you. You are my love, and you mean everything to me. I will be myself to you, you will be the one who knows me. Only you."

Dakota was taken aback. He had never…she breathed in awe. "Thank you. For…everything. And trusting me. But…God knows you too."

He smiled, and got up offering her his hand. "God too."


	14. Chapter 14

Hey guys!  It has been awhile…but I think the length of this chapter makes up for it.  I've worked hard, trying to write every day on it.  I'll be starting my senior year in highschool this year, but I'm determined to get this fic done by my graduation!  Also, after it's finished, I'll go back to the beginning, re-write it so that the silly thing isn't only speaking, and so things like Trowa kissing Dakota 3x for 'the first time' and other such errors.  If you notice some huge errors, or even little ones, email me at sacriligevscrossx@hotmail.com - it'll be a HUGE help!  And if anyone would be interested in designing a website for me…it'd be cool.  I could draw you a picture or write you a fic for payment, if you would like. Thanks so much for reading, and remember – reviews mean inspiration!

Jet

Chapter 14

"Well Heero, you seem to be healing nicely." Doctor Thera Windsom, a double PhD in both medicine and psychology smiled at the boy.  He did not return the gesture, simply gazing at her, waiting for her to continue so he could leave. 

"I will set up an appointment for you in the therapy division Heero.  You will need to go three times a week, for at least two hours a session until you can walk properly.  Other then your therapy you need to _stay off your legs_.  Otherwise you'll irritate them even more, and they'll never heal."  She glared at him.  "I've noticed several strains on your arm muscles – have you been walking on crutches when I strictly told you not to?"

Heero looked away.  _She'd never understand._ **_No…she never would.  Can't have us looking weak, now can we Heero?  Or is it Aiden now?  You saw your gang members…are you remembering yourself now?  _**_Shut up, now is not the time for this._****

When he had shushed the voice, he looked up at the doctor and gulped.  She was staring at him.  He could only suppose he had spoken aloud.

            "Should I make extra psychiatric appointments for you?  You _have_ been seeing Dr. Zava as planned, haven't you?  No?  Perhaps I should speak to the young lady who was with you.  You really must see a psychiatrist.  Unless I am mistaken, you still have no recollection of things, do you?"  The doctor sighed.  This was worse then talking to a brick wall.  At least she was sure that the walls were _listening_.  With Heero, she could never tell.  She wished he would listen to her though; he'd never get better if he didn't. 

            "Here is a card with instructions for you.  I will go talk to Ralara now, all right?  The nurse will be in in a few minutes to help you into your wheelchair. Behave yourself."  She told him, walking out of the room.

            Heero snorted at the empty space.  He ran a trembling hand through his hair.  A shrink.  She had prescribed one before, when he had first been injured, but he ignored it.  In fact, he had never even told any of his friends about the prescription.  Now she was telling Ralara, and Wufei too, since he was with her.  Between those two he would never get out of his appointments.  And therapy.  He had to go to therapy!  Just so he could look even more stupid by not being able to walk while the trainers sat there, probably talking childish talk, and prescribing small exercises so his 'poor little legs' could get used to it.  Just great.  Even greater was the fact that she had strictly forbidden his walking.  Ralara would see that was carried out too.  Women always seemed to be running his life.  _Where did that thought come from?  Ralara is the only girl…isn't she?** *Snicker* Not by a long shot Heero. **What are you talking about?  Who are you anyway?  I don't think you ever told me.  All you do is deride me and order me around.  I think that I am perfectly capable of running my own head, thank you._ Only snickers answered him, evil sounds that freaked the boy out. 

            The sound of the door slamming brought him out of his reverie.  At least this time he wasn't mumbling to someone that no one could see; someone his own deranged mind was probably making up.  Or perhaps his consciousness had been split in half over his injury.  Or maybe, just maybe…it was real…

            In walked a nurse; she had his wheelchair.  Ralara and Wufei followed her in, and neither looked happy.  Heero winced.  He knew that he was going to get it from both of them once he was out of range of the other hospital patients.  He let the nurse pick him up and practically plop him into his chair, that ever-present fake smile plastered on her face.  He thanked her, but only after a hard stare from Ralara.

            Immediately Wufei took the handles and pushed him out the door, his face seemingly carved into stone.  Heero supposed that was so Ralara could look him in the face while she yelled at him.   For once, he didn't really care how loud she yelled.  

            "Heero, why didn't you tell us that you needed to see a psychiatrist?"  It had begun.  

            "I didn't want to go."  He stated simply.  

            "Heero, we all want you to get better.  How do you expect that to happen when you won't co-operate with your doctors?  Have you no sense of respect for those in authority?"  Wufei asked, a hard edge on his voice.  They were nearing the car.

            "Look…I just…did..n't…want a …dumb…shrink telling…me I…I'm stupid."  He snapped back, or attempted to anyway.

            "They're not going to tell you your stupid.  Dr. Zaran is a nice man.  He specializes in memories.  He'll help you get yours back.  He also works with speech conditions.  After your one-hour psychiatric session, you will be working for a half-hour on your speech."  Her tone and manner left no room for arguing, even if he had felt like it.

            "I…*sigh*…alright."  He slumped, defeated.  "Wh…when…do…I go?" 

            "Today at three-thirty.  Quatre and I will be taking you.  The girls decided that if they were going to be staying with us from now on, they would have to get their stuff from their houses. Duo is taking them all in his truck.  He's thrilled."  Wufei did not sound at all pleased. "Tomorrow they are going shopping.  I don't know whom they'll con into that. Not that you'll have to worry, you have physical therapy tomorrow, and you _will_ be going." 

            "W..what is T…trowa doing?"

            "Extra training today.  Dakota came up with a new routine for him to work on."  Ralara offered.   

            "Oh…" He said, waiting for Wufei to pick him up and put him into the car, which they had finally reached. He sighed as Wufei drove off, looking sadly out of the window.  This was not going to be a very good day…

~~~

"You know Duo, we really appreciate you taking us around."  J'Amier gushed.  

            Duo just smiled.  It was almost funny enough to laugh out loud.  Here they were, five beautiful girls that anyone who had enough hormones to call himself a male would die to be with, all in his truck.  Two of them sat next to him, his girlfriend was practically sitting on him, and the other three were in back.  It was great!

            He started his truck up with a roar.  He loved his truck, almost as much as he loved his car.  While his car had style, no one had a vehicle with more power then his truck.  Duo took great pride in the fact that he had built it himself.  

            "So…where to first ladies?  Who wants to go first?"  He asked.  "I got plenty of room for everyone's stuff, so it don't really matter who goes first."

            "If you want to go to my house, it'd be cool.  I'm all packed and everything.  Brett, that's my half-brother, could help us load everything.  My parents won't even mind that I've been living with you guys – they've been trying to set me up for months!"  Ice volunteered from her place in the backseat.

            "Alright, to the Berk's it is!  Where do you live?"  Duo asked, the truck roaring to life.

            All the girls chatted to one another about various things as Ice gently gave Duo directions through the busy streets.  Her soft voice did not fit Duo's reckless driving, causing more then one other driver to shout words the girls were glad Duo was moving to fast to hear.  Sky just shook her head at Duo's excessively crazy driving, kissed her boyfriend on the cheek, and began a new conversation about all of the cute boys that she used to know before she met Duo.

            It wasn't long before the truck was pulling into a long side driveway lined with trees and strange looking sculptures.  Ice blushed.  She would never tell any of the girls that she helped to design all of the sculptures from the interesting comments that were flowing around the truck.  Just because her family was odd didn't mean that her new friends had to know that she participated in it.  Besides, she hadn't done anything as odd as her parents since she was young.

            A young youth ran out to meet the truck.  It was Brett, and by the look on his face, he wasn't happy to see Duo.  Duo ignored him, instead pasting on a wide grin.  He held out a hand for Ice, and also one for each of the girls who stepped out after her.  Of all of them, only Ralara thanked him.  _These girls take chivalry for granted.  Sheesh._

****Ice ran to Brett, smiling broadly.  "Hi Brett!  I found a place to live, and the rent is going to be really cheap.  I came to get my stuff.  Do you want to help me load my stuff?  Are mom and dad home?"  

            "Uh…sure, I help you with your stuff…and yeah…mom and dad should be out in a minute…mom'll be thrilled to see your friends and that guy."

            Ice chuckled.  Her mother would probably pounce on Duo before he even knew what was happening! She had to explain their situation quickly, before Duo got hurt, Sky freaked, or both.  

            "Duo has a girlfriend with him, that girl with the long blue hair.  My boyfriend…well, I guess he's my boyfriend, lives in the apartment complex I'm renting." 

            All of a sudden, an excited scream erupted.  "Ice!  You're finally living with a guy?"

            "Not just one guy – five of them!"  Sky explained excitedly. 

            Brett scowled.  Unlike his stepmother, he hated the idea of Ice living with other guys – especially if she was neither dating nor married to any of them!  Ice's mother looked incredulous.  She turned to her husband who had just stepped out of the door and whispered something excitedly.  Brett sighed in exasperation as his father's entire face lit up.

            "You have a boyfriend and you're living with five guys?  That's wonderful honey!  Should we all help you get your things?"  

            "Um…sure.  But I'm not really _living _with them…I'm renting an apartment in the same complex as them…and they own the building but…" Ice tried to explain, but to no avail.  Her mother shushed her and shooed all of the girls, plus Brett and Duo, towards Ice's room where there were boxes upon boxes of things ready to be loaded up.

            Duo whistled as he looked at all of the things in Ice's room.  It was a good thing that she was going to have a large apartment, and an even better thing that his truck just happened to fold out into a trailer in the back.  _I wonder if all the girls are this big of packrats…_  

            Ignoring everyone's questioning looks, Duo ran back to the truck and hopped into the driver's seat.  He opened a panel on the dashboard, and flicked five black switches, being careful to do them in the correct order.  If his truck suddenly sprouted wings, or any of the other little surprises that he had hooked up in his little baby.  

            The truck shook slightly.  Extra panels of metal shot from the back end and top of the truck.  Wheels unfolded from the bottom storage container to rest on the ground.  Within seconds, his truck had become a tractor-trailer.  Duo smiled.  

            By this time, all of the workers had begun carrying boxes out towards Duo's truck.  Brett and his stepmother were the first, and they had the pleasure of seeing Duo's truck transform.  His stepmother dropped her box with a shriek, and Brett's mouth hung wide open.

            Duo jumped out of his truck/trailer and called, "It's perfectly natural for it to do that!  I built it myself!"  He walked over to Brett's stepmother and took her hand, helping her up.  Then he suggested that she go into the house and perhaps get her something cold to drink, they would take care of the moving.  He picked up the box, whistling, and began to help the others with the arduous task of moving Ice's piles of 'vital' junk.

            "There, that's the last of it."  Duo sighed, wiping the sweat off his brow.  Man, that took longer then he had thought.  Were all of the girls going to be this? Maybe he wasn't as lucky as he thought.

            "C'mon girls, lets go!  We've got a lot of more work to do!" He called.

            Ice hugged both her parents, kissing her mom on the cheek.  She walked over to Brett and hugged him tightly.  "I'm gonna miss you. And don't worry – I'm really just renting an apartment.  I'm not going to be sleeping with anybody but myself, alright?"  

            "Okay.  Promise to be good, and take care of yourself, alright?"  He asked softly.

            Dakota took this moment to walk up next to Ice and wrap her arm around Ice's shoulders.  She grinned at Brett, flexing her muscles. 

            "Hey, don't worry about her.  I'll take care of her.  I'm a black belt in more then one kind of martial arts.  If _any_ of those boys try anything with her, I'll beat the tar out of them!" 

            Brett just smiled, waving at the girls as they walked to the car.  He raked his fingers though his hair as he walked away, sighing in frustration.  Sitting down hard on the stairs, he tried to think straight through the thick fog that confusion had created in his mind. _She's living with other guys.  I don't care if she's renting from them…isn't it still the same?  I don't know…I suppose she's not _living_ with them, cuz they have different rooms, floors even…but…I don't know…I'm worried about her…_

~~~

Quatre wheeled Heero up to the white building, Wufei in tow, stewing.  He was still worrying about all of the girls and Duo, muttering to himself about 'braided bakas' getting the women, and 'he'd better not touch Ice' and something about honor as well.  The Arabian just smiled.  Even though he would _never_ admit it, Wufei cared for that girl-a whole lot.  Quatre could practically feel the worry coming off of him in waves, mixed with strong affection.  He would never say a word of it though.  It was up to Wufei to express his affections, not him.

Heero gulped.  The building was not only an office, but also the colony's psychiatric ward. He might not have had any memories except his dreams, but he certainly had basic knowledge left, and he knew that a psychiatric ward was one place he defiantly did not want to be.  A memory itched at the edge of his consciousness. *_White walls, a tall building…people screaming…something happening* _Heero hissed in frustration – it was gone.

They had arrived at the waiting room.  Wufei wheeled him to the end of a row of chairs and sat down, staring blankly at Quatre.  The boy looked back as if to say 'What are you looking _me_ for?'  Then he grinned and walked up to the registration desk.

"Hello, I'm here with Heero Yuy, he has an 11:30 appointment."  Quatre told the middle-aged woman behind the desk.  She stared at him for a few moments.

"Is this Mr. Yuy's first time with us?"  Quatre nodded.  "Is he capable of filling out his paperwork?"  Silence.  "Are you a legal guardian of some sort?" 

"No ma'am, I'm his friend.  He lives with me and a few others."  He told her, smiling at her admonishing look. "If you don't mind, I'll help him fill out his paperwork." 

The woman sighed, getting out a form for Quatre to sign.  "Sign here, so we'll know that you are assuming guardianship over him."  He did so, handing the paper back to her.  Her eyes bulged.

"Mr. Winner?" She hissed excitedly.  He nodded.  Hurriedly she began assembling a stack of forms, muttering apologies and excuses the entire way.  He smiled and thanked her.  "The doctor will be with him shortly.  Just give him the papers!"  She called after the boy, who had to hold in laughter.  It was amazing how much difference a person's name could make. 

            Heero sighed at the paperwork Quatre had.  The next few minutes were spent with the boy asking him question after question about himself.  Some he answered automatically, such as his name, age, weight, and other personal things.  As for such things as previous psychological problems and childhood illnesses, he was bewildered.    
            Finally, after almost a half an hour, they finished.  Right on queue, the door opened and Dr. Zaran himself came out.  "Heero Yuy?"  

            The three boys rose, Wufei taking Heero's chair this time, and Quatre handing the doctor the paperwork.  He nodded, leading them to a room with soft lights, lots of comfortable seating, a few tables and chairs, a desk, and a bookshelf that covered the entire back wall. The doctor motioned for them to sit Heero down on one of the couches.  Dr. Zaran pulled up a chair and sat facing Heero.  He stuck out his hand with a smile.  

            "I'm Doctor Zaran, but you can call me Mell. My goal is to work through your memory and speech problem with you. I want to be your _friend_ Heero." 

            Numbly, he shook the doctor's hand as well. The doctor was using that baby voice with him.  He hated that.  _I'm not stupid…I'm not! _ He wanted to cry.

~~~

"Alright, who's next?"  Duo asked, being a little more careful on the road with his much larger vehicle.

            "How about my house?  I don't own much; I'm planning on buying it all.  You'll only have to deal with my dad anyway, it won't be too bad."  J'Amier commented.  

            Duo looked at her.  If her father was _anything_ like Ice's mother…he wasn't sure he wanted to go! J'Amier was pretty, that was for sure – she was drop dead gorgeous (he would never tell Sky that though) – but she could be scary at times.  She knew almost as many types of martial arts as Dakota, and he was certain Wufei had been teaching her more at the center. 

            The girls reminded him of himself, and the other four boys.  On the outside, they didn't really look threatening – well, Heero used to, but without his memories…yeah.  Each of the girls seemed innocent – but they all had many hidden talents.  Dakota could track, J'Amier was a martial arts master, and Ralara was one of the most talented nurses he had seen.  He was sure the other girls had talents as well, ones they had hidden from him so far.  If Heero were better…perhaps he could ask Trowa.

            J'Amier's house was on one of the nicer streets in the colony, painted blue with deep blue trim and decorations.  A man of about thirty-five, most likely her father, was planting shrubs in the yard.  Apparently he was a handy man.  Duo wondered if J'Amier had painted the house, or if her father was into that sort of thing as well.  

            When the truck stopped and J'Amier hopped out, giving the skinny man a large hug, it became perfectly clear that it was her father.  He was not at all as Duo had pictured.  He had pictured someone who could lift tons of weights, and talk sparingly in a deep gruff voice. The man wouldn't shut up, besides being puny enough that Duo thought he could easily take the man down. He had also expected a small, non-descript house with sparse furniture.  

            After being invited inside, all housing theories were shot down.  Crashed and burned was more like it.  Her house was lined with things; bookshelves, an entertainment center, computers, tools, tables, and beds.  There were tapestries in every room, as well as at least three pieces of artwork.  Every chair was decorated, every table painted.  All of the windows had flowers and candles on them.  Duo counted at least five fish tanks, seven cats, and who knows how many mice, rats, rabbits, and ferrets they had in cages.  In her room alone J'Amier had over thirty animals.  She even insisted on giving her father their address so that he could bring over her pets.  

            By the time they left J'Amier's house, Duo felt lightheaded.  Even though she only had one parent, her father made it seem like there was a room full of people!  At times like this, he found himself thanking God that he was an orphan.

            Still, the girls seemed to have liked it.  Sky was leaning on him in order to turn around and chat.  She was going on excitedly about the animals in J'Amier's house.  Apparently she was an animal person – he would have to keep that in mind for future dates.  Ralara seemed more interested in the decorations, asking incessant questions about who painted them, when, why, who made the art, whether J'Amier was herself into art, and so on and so forth.  Duo just shook his head.  He didn't bother break up their conversation to ask where to next, he just took off to Sky's house, the only place he knew how to get to.

~~~

            "Now, I understand that you have been having problems with your memory, is that right Heero?"  Dr. Zaran began, leaning forward almost too eagerly in his chair.

            Heero looked up at his two friends.  Quatre gave an encouraging nod, and surprisingly, so did the normally stoic Chinese man.  He looked back to the doctor, sighed, and started to speak.

            "Y..yes.  I ha-have dreams w-where…I s-see…things…but I d-don't remember th-them." 

            After taking a few notes, the doctor replied, "And what exactly do you see in these dreams?"

            "I…" Once again he looked up at his friends.  They had spoken on the way here, deciding on certain things that Heero could not tell the doctor.  He wanted to know if this would be one of them.  Wufei gave a slight shake of his head; this was something that could not be discussed with another person outside of the five boys. 

            "I…I don't remember…" **_Danger…the mission was in danger…there was only one way to escape…can't let them have Wing…_**  "I d-don't re-remem-remember any…anything about th-them at all…" The lie was foul on his tongue. **_A small red button.  So innocent really – it couldn't cause any harm on its own…his hand moved to push the button.  A voice said, "Mission accepted[i]" as a hand, his hand, pressed down that innocent red button._**  

            "Do your nightmares ever linger Heero?"

            "S-sometimes."  This seemed to interest the doctor.  He urged the boy to continue with yet another question.  

            "Do they frighten you?"

            **_An explosion…wind, heat, pieces of shrapnel assaulting him from all sides…he was being thrown into the air…maybe he would never hit the ground…_** "N..no."  He lied again.  Of course they frightened him.  He never understood them, and when he tried to ask the other boys, they refused to talk about it. It was very scary, having dreams of himself doing things that he knew he had done, but had no memory it actually happening to him.

            _W**as he dead? It would feel good to die; then it would be over…finally it would be over.**_

~~~

            Sky lived alone in a rooftop apartment in the middle of the city, something that she enjoyed immensely.  Her companion, before she had met Duo, was a peregrine falcon who flew loose in her apartment named Cloud.  She had taken him in when he was young – he had fallen from his nest onto her windowsill.  

            Cloud shrieked in delight as Sky walked in, greeting her by flying up and beating his wings at her, as if he was attacking.  Duo flinched – he still was not used to the big bird.  Cloud calmed after a few moments, accepting the arm she put out to perch on.  

            Sky laughed at her friends' faces.  "It's alright guys, Cloud is a sweetheart.  Come on in, I'll show you the apartment."  

            They did, and were amazed as soon as they did. Sky had always seemed, well, to have her head in the clouds – a true blonde.  Her apartment, which she had decorated herself, spoke otherwise.  Each of the four rooms sported a different colored pastel wall, trimmed with flowered paper.  Dozens of fake flower arrangements sat on windowsills and tables.  Her carpets were thick and colorful, and the one wood floor she had was paneled in a beautiful design.  Pictures that Sky had painted herself of animals and landscapes hung in each room.  

            "Wow…" Ralara commented, looking around in awe.  

            "You guys like it? I'm glad!"  She beamed.  "Duo really it too, he's been over a few times."  

            "Where's your stuff babe?  You're not taking the furniture or anything are you?" Duo asked, wondering for the hundredth time if he was going to have to make two trips for all of these girls' things.

            "Oh, that's in the bedroom.  Everything is packed except for my paintings. I wanted everyone to see them!"  She exclaimed.  "We'll just have to pack them. I have extra boxes, newspapers and tape."  Duo groaned.  They could be here forever…

            While Sky showed the girls where the supplies where and started to take down the pictures and pack them, Duo began lugging stuff downstairs.  Sky had as much stuff as the other three girls _combined_.  From all of the boxes labeled "Makeup"  "Hair Accessories" and other girlish things, she could have opened up her very own beauty parlor.

            The girls chatted as they wrapped the paintings, often laughing at Sky's comments of how whipped Duo was.  They giggled, trying to go as slow as possible just to annoy the boy.  Several of the girls wanted to know where Sky had learned to paint.  Sky had told them she had taken private classes, but would be more then happy to teach them.  That caused a great deal of excitement, especially with Ice and J'Amier.  Dakota also seemed interested, claiming she worked with oils from time to time.

            Several hours went by before Duo could drag them out of the apartment and back into the truck, still talking about paintings of all things.

~~~

            "Now Heero, when a patient looses their memory, they often hear voices inside their head that tell them of their past.  Several other studies have been made where the voices have nothing to do with the lost memories, but for some reason, the subconscious creates them.  Have you had any problems of this sort?"  Dr. Zaran questioned.  The past half an hour with Heero had been quite interesting.  Despite the boy's protests that he did not recall his dreams, the doctor knew better.  In fact anyone who saw the nervous looks he gave as he spoke, would know the boy was hiding something.  Perhaps it was a voice – often people thought it they heard voices it meant that they would be locked away, or some other silly thing.  Many times those who heard voices were instead promoted to positions of power. He himself was one such person – but enough of that.  He looked attentively at the boy for an answer.

            "I…I…" Heero stopped.  **_Come on Heero…why don't you tell them about me…?  I'm your friend.  I've always been your friend, don't you remember?_**_ No I don't remember…I don't want to remember…**Heero, Heero…don't insult me like that.  Now, why don't you tell that doctor just like a good little boy…come on now…**_"I…do have…o-one v-v-voice…" **_There's a good boy.  Now, tell him that my name is Heero, Aiden…_**_What?  My name is Heero, not yours…**No…my name is Heero…I'm the one who was the soldier, you're just the stupid pathetic little boy that hid all through those years of fighting…I kept you alive Heero…now I've been reduced to a voice in your head. I liked the control…**Shut up!  You don't control me! You never did! Shut up, Shut up!_ 

            "S-ssshut up!" Heero shrieked.  "J-just sssssshut up!"   Everyone turned to stare at him, eyes wide.  The doctor's pen excitedly jotted down every word.

~~~

            Duo sighed in relief.  They were almost done, headed toward Ralara's house, which was situated on the edge of town.  She had decided to keep secret about her house – saying that the others would find out what it looked like when they got there.  None of the curious girls were too pleased, especially Dakota, who thought that being an ex-spy meant that she had the right to know everything.  Duo on the other hand, was ready to go home.  He had had enough of girl's gossip to last a lifetime.  He'd take one girl over five any day – not that anyone would find that out.  He wouldn't risk ruining his wild reputation.

            That brought a smile to his face.  He wasn't nearly as bad as most people thought, but he thought it was funny that they all thought he partied every night, and couldn't stand to sleep with less then three girls.  In truth, he'd never had sex in his life, and wasn't planning on it until marriage, but he'd never, ever tell anyone that.  He used his reputation to test people. If they treated him like a normal person, no matter what they had heard, he knew they were good people.  If they treated him like dirt because of what he had supposedly done, he knew how judgmental they were.  As for his current friends, they had all passed with flying colors, each in their own way.  Even Wufei, though he thought Duo very dishonorable, would probably talk to him like a man if Duo ever stopped teasing him.  

            "Duo, DUO!  You're going to miss my house!  Snap out of it!"  Ralara cried out, snapping him back into reality.

            "Huh?  Oh, yeah, right."  _Man…I'm hungry…I wonder when we're going to eat._ He wondered as he pulled up into the driveway.  His eyes widened, as he pulled further into it.  She lived on a farm!  Huge pasturelands unfolded behind the house, complete with stables, a barn, and a huge farmhouse. He felt his jaw drop.  He had read a bit about farms in books, and knew that each colony supported a few, but he had never seen one, much less knew anyone who actually _lived_ on one!  

            The truck stopped, well back from the house, and all of the girls piled out.  Duo just sat there, stunned.  Finally Ralara popped her head in, grinning at him.  "Come on Duo.  My brother and his friends made supper for us. You're probably hungry – we ate lunch very early." 

            "Food?"  He asked, jolting upright.  

            "Yes, food.  Good real farm food.  Come on, hurry up!"

            She didn't have to prod the boy any more after that. He practically jumped out of the vehicle, following her to the house.  All of the girls were already inside, sitting down at a large table. Also sitting there were seven boys, all staring at Duo.  At the head of the table was Ralara's brother, Brock.  Ralara took her place by his side, and Brock smiled at her.  She smiled back, a loving sisterly smile.  Duo felt a strong pang of loneliness.  He had never had a sister…

            Sky squeezed his arm, pulling him down beside her. She had a beautiful smile of her own on her face.  Perhaps he had never seen a sister's smile, but hers was good enough for him.  

            "This is my half-brother Brock.  These are the boys who live here and help take care of the farm.  They're my friends and his.  Perhaps you'd all like to introduce yourselves?"  Ralara spoke, turning to the first boy, a tall man in a brown suede jacket with bleach blonde hair.  

            "Um…alright.  My name is Irvine Calriean, and I'm nineteen years old.  I moved here…about three months ago.  I work with the horses." He smiled, looking at them through brown sunglasses.  

            "He never takes those off – he's only got one eye."  Ralara whispered to J'Amier.  J'Amier's eyes widened, and she nodded.

            "Is it my turn?"  The next asked, a shorter boy with bright orange hair tied around his neck.  "Right…I'm Daven Lathael, and I'm seventeen years old.  I've been here for two years; I came from a state orphanage.  I help with the basic handiwork – I'm a mechanic."  He finished, trying to recover from his first hesitation. Turning to the next boy, he grinned, his smile saying 'you're next!'

            "My name is Raven Dethane.  I am twenty-one years old, and I have been here for five years.  I take care of the farm's finances, and I am in charge of selling our products."  He looked at them with eyes as dark as his name, and hair to match, braided on each side.  

            "I think that boy is Native American!  I didn't know that there were any left." Ice whispered to Sky.  Sky gave her a blank look, and replied, "Of certain tribes, no.  But there is a whole _colony_ of my tribe.  Didn't you realize that I was Native American too???"

            Ice took a good long look at Sky.  She did have tanned skin, and high cheekbones…and she was very beautiful, tall, and gracefully proportioned…but…her hair was the brightest blue that she had ever seen, and "High" wasn't exactly a very Indian last name."

            Sky sighed.  "My real last name is 'Highlander.' My hair is dyed, alright?"  

            Ice thought about it for a few moments, and then she nodded. She turned back to the others, where a short brown-haired boy was introducing himself as "Gerald Bouchan."

            After they had finished introducing themselves, the meal was served – Duo said the blessing.  It was a very good meal, with good quality food.  When the meal was over, the seven boys – 'men' helped Ralara and the others move her stuff.  

            Ralara gave each boy a hug and a kiss, even her brother, and said goodbye.  It was so touching, Duo almost felt bad for taking her away.

~~~

            Heero was shaking, trying to keep back tears. Wufei of all people was holding him, trying to consol him.  _I can't believe I did that.  He's gonna send me away…have me locked up.  I'm _not _crazy…I'm not, I swear! Really…I'm not…_

            "Hey, calm down.  He's not going to lock you up Heero.  I wouldn't allow it."  Wufei said firmly.  

            "R-really?" Heero asked softly.  

            "Really."  Wufei's eyes went wide as Heero sighed with contentment at his statement, and settled himself in his arms, burying his head in Wufei's shoulder.  Embarrassed, Wufei looked up at Quatre, who was talking to Dr. Zaran in hushed tones.  The doctor was nodding, and occasionally spoke back.  

            Nearly a half an hour later, Dr. Zaran had finished his assessment.  He turned to Heero, motioning Quatre to sit down, which he did, his mouth tight, his eyes full of worry.  Wufei pushed Heero up to pay attention, and poked him a few times to be sure that he was awake.  

            He was defiantly awake.  Fear shone in his eyes, and he reached out gripped Quatre and Wufei's hands as the doctor began to speak. _Please…if there is a God…please don't let me be locked up…please_.

            "I have observed that you have a very advanced case of schizophrenia, and I would recommend that you have sessions five times a week, for two hours apiece.  I would normally recommend that you be moved to the psychiatric ward here so that you could get attention twenty-four hours a day-" Heero hissed, taking in breath quickly.  "However…your friend convinced me that since your memory has been returning at home, that you should stay there, with people you know to trigger these vital memories. I would also recommend that you come for speech therapy five days a week, for an hour session."  

            There was silence for a minute. Then Quatre looked over to Heero and Wufei also looked over at him.  Heero sighed, and said, "A-alright.  I-if…I can get a r-ride."  He knew they worked all the time, so he would need a ride to come every single day.

            "Ralara will take you."  Quatre assured him.  He stood up, and thanked the doctor, and then pushed Heero out the door, followed by Wufei. It was a silent ride home, Heero sitting in the back, tears leaking down his face.

~~~

"I suppose we have stop by my place now, huh?"  Dakota questioned.  "I have my own apartment, but all of my stuff is at my mom's old house.  She doesn't live there, just my three brothers, but they're holding my stuff for me.  Such sweet brothers.  I only have my furniture at the apartment, and I don't think I'll need that with you guys."  

            The girls looked at Dakota with respect.  They all wished they could have moved out earlier.  Some faces were twisted with confusion, Sky's especially.  She finally spoke.

            "But Dakota, won't you lose your apartment if you just use if for storage space?  I know a lot of renters don't like it if you do that – my landlord refused to let me keep mine if I was going to be living elsewhere."

            Dakota grinned, a slow satisfied smile spreading across her face.  "Well, normally that _would_ happen, but I happen to pay in advance, and I _do_ use the apartment from time to time, when I want to get away from everybody."  

            No one needed to know that she had used the apartment as her base of operations during the war.  She had spied for both sides, collecting huge bounties.  She was, of course, the best in the business, and did not come cheap.  She knew who each of the boys were and what they did during the war.  Some of them probably knew who she was as well – Heero certainly would if his memory ever came back.  The other girls, besides what they had learned from the news, were as innocent in these categories as could be.  Not that that really counted anyway - the news had been mostly false information, used only as propaganda for whichever side paid more.

            Dakota realized she had been zoning out when Duo announced that they had arrived at her house.  She didn't even know she had given him directions!  _I need to pay more attention.  Just because I'm not an active spy doesn't mean I don't need to keep sharp!_

            The house they pulled up to was huge, three stories high, with decorations that made it look like a castle.  It also was defiantly not brand new. In fact, it was somewhat rundown, with some windows hanging off hinges, peeling paint, and dust everywhere.  This surprised Dakota a little bit.  When she had left for good three years ago, it had still been in fairly good condition.  Now it looked deserted, haunted, or both. What had happened while she was gone?

            The vehicle stopped a good thirty feet from the door, and its doors opened, Dakota the first to jump out.  Duo followed close behind her, and the rest of the girls in a cluster behind him.  Slowly Dakota walked to her door and slammed on it.  "Hello?  Jon?  Griffin? Ty? Anyone?"  She paused for a moment, and slammed again. "IT'S ME, YOUR BELOVED SISTER!  NOW OPEN UP BEFORE I BREAK THE DOOR DOWN!"  She screamed at the top of her lungs, ignoring the glares given to her by her startled companions.

            When the house stayed silent, she growled.  _I know they're home.  Why are they all being so difficult?  Are they trying to hide something from me?  They couldn't if they tried!_  Motioning everyone away from the door, she charged.

            Coughing at the dust that stirred, she climbed through what remained of the door.  The house was still and dark.  The entire room looked trashed, like bandits had looted it.  Slowly an idea began to form in her mind, and she didn't like it one bit. 

            "Griffin?  Ty…?  ………Jon?"  She called again. Sighing, she turned to her friends. "I have no idea what's going on, but I know that they're here!  Duo and Sky, you cover the rest of this floor.  J'Ator, cover the second floor.  Ralara and Ice, take the top floor.  I don't really think they'll be up there, but please check.  Take flashlights, they should be by the door.  I'm going to check out the basement."  

            Nods of agreement followed her statement, and they spread out.  Dakota already knew who would find what.  Duo and Sky would find nothing but more trash, and would probably make out on her couch.  _Maybe I shouldn't have told them to go together.  Well, I suppose they would have traded partners if I split them anyway…_She still couldn't help but feel guilty.  J'Ator would likely find her rooms, and stuff that needed to be loaded.  A sensible girl, she'd probably get Duo and Sky to stop playing around and help load. Probably.  

Ralara and Ice would unearth her brother Ty, who always slept upstairs during the day, keeping the windows tightly boarded up.  She had known he was there, because even though all of the other windows were up, every single upstairs window was covered in some way.  As the two girls were both very attractive, he'd flirt with them instead of attacking.  Unless, of course, they were stupid and tried to ward him off with the flashlight. Then they might be in trouble. She cringed.  _Well, if I hear them screaming…_

She herself was prepared to deal with her lazy brother Jon, who practically lived downstairs.  He never came up unless there was a good reason, and even then usually lurked about the stairways instead of coming up fully.  He was petrified of the light, as was Ty.  _Stupid vamps._  She scowled.  

Griffin could be found by anyone.  The only one of the three boys who could stand daylight, and her twin, he lurked.  Often he would play tricks on his brothers, shining lights on their sensitive eyes.  Her brothers weren't really vampires, but their eyes and skin were extremely sensitive to the light, and neither could go out during the day.  Ty was a strong telekinetic, and Jon was telepathic.  They claimed it was to 'make up for' their inability to handle daylight, but Dakota suspected that the abilities had caused the problem, not the other way around.

"Jon, are you down here?"  She called as she opened the door.  **Go away.[ii] **"Go away?  Come come now, I just got here!  You haven't seen me for almost three years!"  She chided, flicking on the light.  **Oooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww! **He screamed at her.

She strode in anyway, not attempting to hide the sway of her hips, or the deadly way she glided across the floor to kneel by Jon's bed.  He was a wreck, his hair mussed up and dark circles under his squinting eyes.  His eyes were totally black from his huge telepathic ability.  Some telepaths went blind from a shrinking pupil – Jon's was the opposite. The sheets were tangled and ripped, as was almost everything else in the room.  Dust was thick down here too, as if they hadn't cleaned since she'd left.

"Alright you, tell me what's going on!"  She hissed; grabbing his hair and yanking his head back so his slits for eyes were looking at her.

"Griffin.  He's been going nuts, ripping stuff and freaking out.  I think he's really insane, but Ty thinks it's his mutant.  You know how the doctors said that he had one, but they didn't know what?  Well, I think he's turning into an animal or something, at least mentally.  He only stays around for a few days, and then he'll be gone for months."  He told her.  **He tore the house apart.  Ty and I have put it back together at night a lot, only to get up and find that he ripped it apart again.  We've found him passed out a lot too.  Sometimes he's himself, but when he is, he never talks about anyone except you.**  Jon had switched to his mental voice, closing his eyes against the light.  **Will you let me go now?**

            "Sorry." She said, letting go of his head.  She did not sound sorry in the least.  "Now, what are the chances that Griffin could be

here right now?"  **Well, I haven't seen him for a while, so I suppose it is possible…**

            "AAAAAAAAAaaaaah!"  A high-pitched scream cut him off.  He looked up in shock, squinting as he did so.  He whispered softly to himself for a moment, then said, "You'd better get upstairs.  Ty – I just talked to him - is heading down to check it out; those two girls are helping him down the stairs.   Griffin showed up, and um…you'd better go get him or else your little friends could be in trouble…"  

            She slapped him, practically unhinging his jaw.  "Do _not _

Call them my 'little friends.'  They're very nice girls, not to mention beautiful.  But if you ever think anything bad about them-" She stopped at the next yell, this time a boy's yell.  _That must be Duo… _With that she bolted up the stairs, tensing for what she would find.

            Ty was there, dressed all in black except for a ratty blue t-shirt.  His hair was also unkempt, looking as if it had not been brushed for quite some time.  Dakota was confused.  Ty had always been the neat freak, cleaning up at night while she and Griffin slept.  He leaned on both Ice and Ralara, who looked completely petrified.  A black rag was tied over his eyes to block out the sun.  

            In front of her was Griffin; at least, she thought it was.  He had the griffin tattoo on his right shoulder and neck, and had the clear gray eyes that were Griffin's, but looked nothing like him! He was huge, as if he had been lifting weights for months.  His clothes were little more then strings and small patches of clothing.  What was left was stained, with sticks, mud, and grass in his hair.  He was snarling against bonds he could not see, bonds made by Ty.  His teeth were large, sharpened from use she supposed.  Above everything else, he had grown a beard!  She remembered when he had pleaded with himself in the mirror to get even one little hair on his clean-shaven face. Now it was thick, black and curly, matching the shoulder length curls that fell from his head.  

            "Griffin!"  She snapped, walking up to him.  He started at her voice, staring at her with those chilling eyes.  She glared back, her eyes a mirror of his.  "What are you doing?!"  

            Wordlessly his mouth worked.  He looked around at the house, looking confused and scared.  The boy trembled, trying to shake his head.  Again his mouth moved, but no sound came out.  His arm twitched, as if he wanted to move.

            "Let him go Ty.  I can take care of myself." She told him.  He nodded, turning, and walked down the stairs to join Jon in the gloom.

            Griffin fell forward into her un-expectant arms, weeping uncontrollably.  She looked over him to her friends, who stood there stunned.  Duo was in shock, a box of her stuff over his shoulder.  "Just get as much as you can, and lets go.  I'm going to take him with us!" She mouthed.  _Jon?_ She asked in her head.  **Yeah?**  _Come to the house as soon as you can. _She pictured the place in her head. _Did you get that? _**Got it. Now get out of here, before your friends leave you here with us freaks.  **_JON!  You're not freaks. And-**Just go, okay? **_

"Alright."  She whispered to him, shouldering Griffin, (who had _conveniently passed out) and took him out to the vehicle.  It was a very long, silent ride home. _

  


* * *

[i] This is supposed to be the scene where Heero self-destructs.  If I've gotten something wrong, please tell me!

[ii] Italicized text is thought, bold italicized text is Heero's split personality, and bold text is telepathic thought.


End file.
